Through blistering cold and piles of snow, the American political process waits for no one. It's an idea not lost on Elizabeth Chan, an MU senior with a passion for politics. Like a mailman, Chan trudges through the elements to deliver news of her candidate of choice.

"For the past week or so I've been walking around town knocking on doors, giving people a call asking them if they plan to go to the caucus," explained Chan.

In sub-zero wind chills, her fingers maybe be frost-bitten but not her spirits.

"Knocking on the doors and then finding those people who are just as enthusiastic as you are. Or finding people and convincing them to give Barack a shot. That's an adreneline rush, and it makes the cold weather a little bit easier to handle," said Chan. "Iowa voters, or caucus voters, are some of the most politically active and enthusiastic people I've ever met."

It's that fervor for the nomination process that makes Iowa different. As you stand on the corner of Fourth Street and Main Street in Grinnell, Iowa, it looks like the main stretch of any town in the U.S. There's a pizza place, a barber shop, but as you keep going, it's easy to see the role that presidential politics plays in every town in Iowa.

But Chan, an Illinois native and Missouri student might feel a little out of place walking any street in Grinnell. That's where Alice Beemer comes in.

"I'm living with a very nice woman named Alice who is the precinct captain for Barack Obama in her ward. She's a spitfire. She is so passionate about politics," described Chan.

"Elizabeth is committed as committed of a student as I've seen. She's up in the morning and out the door," said Alice Beemer, Obama Campaign Volunteer. Beemer took in a student because she knows how important they can be to a campaign.

"They add a lot," explained Beemer. "As I remember doing, when I was their age, campaigning for John Kennedy."

Chan also believes she adds a lot because in this dog-eat-dog world of politics every vote counts.

"I do it because of people who are walking around knocking on doors in the cold, calling people everyday. And I think that does have an effect," said Chan.

Affecting the outcome of the caucus night put her on the path to changing her college learning experience forever.

"I can sit in class all day. Day in and day out, week after week, I can learn about this stuff," said Chan. "But to actually go out and do it first hand and see how a campaign runs at the grassroots level, that's an invaluable education."

She's gotten a close-up look at the passion of the voters, the campaigners, and the candidates. So, a week in Iowa has left chan, as the Obama slogan and Chan says, "Fired up and ready to go."