Most college students wouldn’t have the audacity to ask a former president for a favor, but Jason Parsons isn’t like most college students.
The West Virginia University senior asked former President Clinton to speak at the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences graduation on May 16. Parsons’ persistence paid off when the former president finally said yes.
Parsons, calling from Puerto Rico where he’s on spring break, shared his tips with Yeas & Nays.
Step 1: Know somebody who knows somebody. “A friend of mine worked on Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, and I got involved and met President Clinton” Parsons said.
Step 2: Convince him your state is important to the campaign. “I told him he should visit the campus in West Virginia and he should speak there as a campaign stop,” Parsons said.
Step 3: Introduce him at a rally. Parsons, a former president himself (student government, though), introduced Clinton at a rally at WVU in spring 2008. In the fall, Clinton was asking for him. “His office called and said, ‘The president would like you to introduce him again.’ ”
Step 4: Be persistent and hope you’re lucky. Parsons became involved with the Clinton Global Initiative University, and since has spoken with Clinton on several occasions. The political science major always has asked him to come back to West Virginia. When former Virginia governor and Clinton confidant Terry McAuliffe came to speak on campus, Parsons asked McAuliffe whether the former president would speak at WVU’s graduation. Fortunately, Clinton had an opening in his schedule.
Parsons ran into Clinton earlier this month at the Big East basketball tournament in New York. He recognized Parsons and said he was looking forward to speaking. The feeling seems to be mutual.
“The people of West Virginia have always had a deep affection for President Clinton,” Parsons said.
