William Styles (right), a Western Carolina University student from Bryson City, meets with U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler as part of his summer internship in the congressman’s office in Washington, D.C.  A political science major, Styles will get another first-hand look at the political process when he attends the Democratic National Convention later this summer.

Western Carolina University student William Styles will get a first-hand look at the political process above and beyond what he is learning in the classroom as a senior majoring in political science when he attends the Democratic National Convention in August.

The 11th Congressional District Democratic Convention recently elected Styles, a resident of Bryson City, to serve as its official delegate at the national convention Aug. 25-28 in Denver, Colo.

“Members of the district convention selected William for this role because he is an active and effective participant in party politics at the grass-roots level,” said Luke Hyde, district convention chairman. “I think it is fairly rare for a college student to be selected a delegate to a national convention for either party. However, in William's case, I am confident that he is well-prepared and will do a great job of representing people of the 11th District.”

A 2004 graduate of Swain County High School and son of Bill and Barbara Styles of Bryson City, Styles currently serves as third vice chair of the 11th Congressional District Democratic executive committee in charge of college and youth activities in the 15 western counties, which make up the 11th district. He has served as president of the Swain County Young Democratic Club and the WCU College Democrats.

“This will be a historic election, and it will go down in the record books as one of the most memorable presidential races of all time,” he said. “I am excited to be able to take part in this event and to represent my district and my hometown.”

Styles said he plans to either attend law school or work on a political campaign after graduating from Western, and he hopes to run for the office of governor at some point. He will work this summer as an intern in the Washington, D.C., office of U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler.

“We’re proud that one of our students has been selected to take an active role in such an important event, one of national significance,” said Gibbs Knotts, head of the WCU department of political science and public affairs. “It says a lot about the quality of the students in our program. The experience of taking part in the national convention will provide William an up-close-and-personal look at the political process, one that he can share with his classmates when he returns to campus.”

For more information about WCU’s political science and public affairs program, call (828) 227-7475.

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Last modified: Wednesday, June 25, 2008