Public Service is ‘Family Affair’ for New
President’s Society Member
We invite you to meet Patrick McBurney
’10
Initiative and Enthusiasm Vital to
Success:
As a high school student in Providence, Rhode Island, Patrick
McBurney spent Christmas carrying gift-wrapped packages to families
in some of the city’s toughest neighborhoods. To this day, he
smiles when he recalls “the look on their faces” as they opened
their doors.
The experience was part of the “Adopt-a-Family” program at LaSalle
Academy, the Catholic high school Patrick attended. “It was,” he
said, “one of the most gratifying things I’d ever done.”
Patrick also discovered another side to service. Inspired by his
father, a state senator, he took a job as a page in the State
House. Patrick’s hard work led to a position as assistant to the
Chief Legal Counsel for the Senate President. “I saw how public
policies can improve lives,” he said. “It’s a lesson I never
forgot.”
Today, Patrick is an outstanding student at St. John’s University,
where he embraces the University’s Catholic and Vincentian mission
by serving others on and off the Queens campus. Long active in
Greek life, he provides leadership as President of Student
Government. Off-campus, he joins other students as a volunteer in
neighboring communities.
“St. John’s gives you so many opportunities to get involved,” said
the 21-year-old Government and Politics major. “It’s the best way
to make a difference in what’s going on around you.”
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