OGDEN — Two Weber State University student body officers are volunteering at the Republican National Convention because of their interest in politics, and their admiration — T-shirts, bumper stickers and all — for presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.
WSU Student-body President Andrew Gardiner and WSU Clubs and Organizations Vice-President Abe Saucedo are serving as interns for media operations at the four-day convention.
The pair arrived in Tampa, Fla., on Aug. 20 to prepare for the GOP national convention.
The convention is scheduled for Monday through Thursday at the Tampa Times Forum and Tampa Convention Center.
“We’re just getting everything ready,” Gardiner said Friday in a phone interview with the Standard-Examiner.
Gardiner, a 24-year-old accounting major, and Saucedo, a 25-year-old accounting major, said their duties at the convention consist of organizing parking and providing media credentials for members of the Secret Service, as well as working with media outlets covering the convention.
“All those logistics, getting them organized, we are helping with that,” said Saucedo, of Ogden.
“I just wanted to help in any way that I could in helping Romney’s campaign,” said Gardiner, of South Ogden.
Gardiner and Saucedo applied for the voluntary internships about two months ago after discovering there was an opportunity to participate at the convention.
The two haven’t had the opportunity to meet Romney and are uncertain whether they will get to do so at the convention, based on the large number of people gathering there, Gardiner said.
But Gardiner and Saucedo said they would both be grateful if given the chance to meet Romney and shake his hand.
But either way, the pair, says they will work long hours for Romney.
“We both really like Mitt Romney and are contributing (to his campaign) where we can,” Saucedo said.
The main reason the Top of Utah students are currently in Tampa, versus in class at WSU, is because politics is second nature to both of them.
Being involved in the world of politics and having a genuine interest in the political issues facing the country is something Saucedo said he enjoys.
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