Del. Pat Young ’10
Q: What is your top priority as a freshman delegate?
A: I believe I share the sentiment of many of our newly elected delegates and returning members when I say that addressing our fiscal situation is my top priority. With that in mind, I hope to be a voice for higher education and veterans’ issues across the state.
Q: What is one thing Marylanders need to know about education opportunities for veterans?
A: The Post- 9/11 GI Bill has made a college degree and career training more attainable for America’s veterans today than in the last 40 years. With this new benefit, there has been an influx of young veterans enrolling in universities across the country, and Towson has been at the forefront of meeting the needs of returning veteran students in Maryland. College is an important buffer between a veteran’s time in the military and their transition back into civilian life. Being prepared to meet the needs of this new generation of veterans and providing a military-friendly environment is imperative to their success at school and beyond.
Q: What made you decide to go to Towson University?
A: Growing up in Baltimore County, I was very familiar with Towson University. It had, and continues to have, a great reputation for its academic programs and personal experiences. However, my decision to come to Towson was made while living out of a dam located in Anbar Province, Iraq in the summer of 2004. Two good friends and I, native to Maryland, would talk late into the night about how we would come home, go to Towson University on the GI Bill, live right near campus, and make a name for ourselves. They didn’t make it back from our deployment, but I decided if I was going to go to school anywhere, it was going to be Towson University.
Alumni in Annapolis is a series of brief interviews with Towson University alumni who now represent parts of the state in the Maryland legislature. These interviews are part of the Towson Advocacy Program, which engages and educates friends, supporters and alumni of the university about Towson’s legislative interests during the General Assembly. To read the entire TAP Newsletter containing this Q&A, click here.
