Congressman Sestak Meets with “Close Up” Foundation Student Representatives

Dicusses Nation's Current Issues

January 28, 2009

Washington, D.C. – On Wednesday, January 28th, Congressman Joe Sestak (PA-07) welcomed students from Chichester High School from his District, who were attending the Close Up Foundation High School Program, to his office to discuss current issues facing our nation, including the state of the economy.

“The education of our youth and their learning are what will give rise to the future economic prospects of our nation,” said Congressman Sestak, a member of the Education and Labor Committee. “I believe that young people can do great things through their determination and hope for a better vision of the future. The great work of the Close Up Foundation in fostering such a dialog of students with elected officials is an important part of this effort.”

The Chichester students were representatives from the “Close Up” Foundation. Since 1971, the foundation has provided the premier Washington civic education experience to almost 700,000 participants. “Close Up” programs seek to educate, inspire and empower students by providing them with the skills and experience they need to become active citizens in our democracy.

Each year, “Close Up” schedules more than one thousand meetings on Capitol Hill for participants to meet with their Members of Congress and staff. These meetings demonstrate the accessibility of democratic government while providing a forum for students to express their views on policy issues.

Born and raised in Delaware County, former 3-star Admiral Joe Sestak served in the Navy for 31 years and now serves as the Representative from the 7th District of Pennsylvania. He led a series of operational commands at sea, including Commander of an aircraft carrier battle group of 30 U.S. and allied ships with over 15,000 sailors and 100 aircraft that conducted operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. After 9/11, Joe was the first Director of "Deep Blue," the Navy's anti-terrorism unit that established strategic and operations policies for the "Global War on Terrorism." He served as President Clinton's Director for Defense Policy at the National Security Council in the White House, and holds a Ph.D. in Political Economy and Government from Harvard University.  According to the office of the House Historian, Joe is the highest-ranking former military officer ever elected to the U.S. Congress.

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Media Contact:
Jonathon Dworkin
Jonathon.Dworkin@mail.house.gov
610-892-8623