As the 2012 presidential election draws near, one NU student group has taken the initiative to raise on-campus political awareness.

The College Republicans brought former GOP candidate Herman Cain to speak at Fisk last night.

Cain addressed a packed Fisk lecture hall yesterday; however, it was not Cain the politician who showed up. Rather it was Cain the businessman, radio host, and cancer survivor who addressed Northwestern students.

The 66-year-old took the audience through his life experiences and his pursuit of the “American Dream.”

For Cain, that dream led to seven careers in 66 years.

“When I got out of college, I thought I’d have one career, work 35 years, and get a gold watch when I retire,” Cain said.

The former GOP candidate used his life story to highlight the importance of hard work and setting goals.

“Your goal is to graduate with decent grades,” he said to NU students.

From pizza to politics, Cain worked in a mixture of experience and humor.

“People like him better for it,” said Dane Stier, the president of College Republicans. “It makes him more of a person and less of a politician."

For students looking for humor, it came across when he recalled his time working for the Department of the Navy.

“I wanted to make $20,000 a year when I was with the Department of the Navy,” Cain said. “Why? Because I read somewhere that if you made $10,000 a year, you could qualify for an American Express card, and I wanted two of them."

Of course, a Herman Cain speech had to include politics, and he made sure to bring Washington into the conversation.

“Why did I run for the United States Senate when I had never run for office before?” Cain asked students. “Because I was frustrated with things I saw in Washington D.C., and rather be part of the problem, I wanted to be part of the solution.”

When talking about his political involvement, the former businessman stressed the importance of staying informed. Some students were quick to point out, however, that Cain had his own informational hiccups. Even though Cain lacked fact checking, other students say he got his point across as a speaker.

“I liked how he cares about bettering America even after what happened and he didn’t get the nomination,” said Victor Shao, ASG President.