ACU alumna Janice Hahn, current Los Angeles City Councilwoman and candidate for U.S. Congress, was in Abilene on Monday, addressing students in Chapel and several classes.

Hahn graduated from ACU in 1974 and began serving on the Los Angeles City Council in 2001. She was on campus speaking to the Jack Pope Fellows. Hahn said the university has changed since her graduation.

“It was very different then. It was a very different university,” Hahn said. “One of the things I loved about being here is seeing what the university has become today.”

Hahn spoke to students in three political science classes and in Chapel. She spoke from Proverbs 31:8-9 regarding making a stand for the poor.

“It was great to speak in Chapel. They used to not let women do that,” Hahn said. “It brought back a lot of good memories.”

Hahn said she was impressed with the way the university has embraced technology. She said the direction the university is moving makes her proud.

“There was a sense that wherever you came from or whatever your background was, that when you came here you were on equal footing,” Hahn said. “I think ACU, among other things, values the individual and the spirit within the individual.”

Dr. David Dillman, professor of political science and director of the Jack Pope Fellows Program, said having an alumna like Hahn speak on campus provided a valuable opportunity for all students to learn.

“I think she brings an energy that allows students who are interested in public policy to see what can be done,” Dillman said. “For students who are not interested in public service it was a chance to see what people from ACU are up to.”