Hillary story from then-Wellesley sophomore Rhonda Zapatka: (in twitlonger)

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In February 1992, in my dorm room at Wellesley College, one afternoon I got a call from a young man who was one of the press guys for the Clinton campaign.

About a month before, I was having tea in the apartment of the glass ceiling-shattering journalist/Wellesley alum, Melissa Ludtke, who was kind enough to open her home to me and chat one cold day during winter break, simply because I had called her and told her that I was interested in a career in journalism, and would she talk with me about hers?

During our chat, she asked me if I'd heard much about this guy Bill Clinton, one of the many presidential candidates, the guy from Arkansas. Not really, I said.

"I think he's got a shot," she said. "And his wife, Hillary -- she's just fantastic. A Wellesley alum. Actually...you should try to interview her for The Wellesley News!"

Melissa knew that I was only the lowly sophomore Sports Editor of the News at the time. She didn't care. She told me to be aggressive, to be a reporter.

"Hold on, I think I've got the press guy's number somewhere here--here it is! Call him," she said. "Tell him I referred you. Hey, you never know!"

I called him, Tim Something-or-Other, I think. To my shock, he invited me to come up to NH in February, to drive around with the Clintons on the campaign trail in their car with them.

Fast forward back to the phone call in my dorm room.

"I have some good news and some bad news. What do you want to hear first?" he said.

"The bad news."

"Bad news is the car ride's off, little change in the schedule. The good news though is that Hillary's coming to Wellesley, to speak on campus. She's doing two interviews: one with the radio station, WZLY, and one with the school paper, The Wellesley News."

I held my breath.

"Hillary told me to be sure to call you first about The News interview," he said.

"But I'm just the Sports editor," I admitted, my heart racing.

"She said it didn't matter. You reached out to us first, so it was only fair for you to get the call, for you to get the shot at the interview. What do you say? You want it?"

That's Hillary Clinton. Remembering a sophomore in college she'd never met in her life, just, well, because it was only fair.

I'll never forget that day. I put on the only dressy clothes I owned and a long, dressy, red winter coat. I felt like Diane Sawyer or Lynn Sherr speed-walking to The College Club that freezing afternoon, mini tape recorder and legal pad in hand, living my journalistic dream at age 20.

I was whisked away as soon as I walked inside and led into a room of campaign staffers. They seemed so old to me -- 20/30/40-somethings, so professional and intense and serious looking.

I was petrified, shaking in my boots.

Hillary walked in a few minutes later. She came right over to me and shook my hand, introducing herself. I think she was wearing a kelly green skirt suit and wore a black headband holding her then long hair back from her face. That day she was about the same age I am now.

Hillary instantly knew that I was nervous, and she instantly dismissed her staff because of it.

"Go on and take a coffee break, everyone. I'm just going to talk to Rhonda here one-on-one."

We sat down. I asked her if I could tape the interview. She said of course. (I still have it.) I told her I knew she only had 20 minutes so I would get right to my six questions.

She stopped me.

"Rhonda, I have all the time in the world. There is no rush at all. So tell me...how did you get here? How did you find out about Wellesley?"

Hillary Clinton gave me 50 minutes of her time that day, not 25. She asked me about my Dad and about Andrea and where my Mom's family was from in Ireland. The woman wanted details too, not generalities.

"Bill and I just LOVE Ireland! I know Cavan!" she said.

She reminisced about her days on campus, and she asked me why I was interested in journalism, and what was I studying. She answered all of my questions clearly, warmly, and thoughtfully. She was as smart, warm, and funny as many have described her as being this week at the DNC. She was, in two words, a Wellesley woman.

Tonight, Hillary Clinton will be the first woman in American history to accept a major party's nomination for President of the United States. I am so proud of the way that Hillary has spent a lifetime standing up, and speaking out for women, children, families, the poor, people with disabilities, unions, working people, people of color -- for all of the groups of people who most need their voices heard in our system that so long discounted them. I am happy for her, and I am happy for all of us -- for our country -- to have the chance for her to lead us. And, I am grateful to Melissa Ludtke, who made this story and memory possible for me 24 years ago.

Tonight I will raise a glass to Hillary, to Wellesley, to Melissa, and to our future. Let's go out there and win this!

‪#‎imwithher‬ ‪#‎yeswecan‬

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