My name is Tim Biba and I’m a YAC’er from Pennsylvania. I attended the 2008 Public Service Academy Conference in Washington and have nothing but great things to say. After attending the conference, I’ve never been more motivated to enter public service. If you’re like me, the day that you spend lobbying your members of Congress–in most cases meeting with the actual members–is one that will shape your college career. I promise that you’ll leave feeling the reward of knowing that you have a free and open government that works for you, and you’ll have a better understanding of the concepts that you’re learing about in your classes.

Being from Pennsylvania, my day started at “Breakfast with Bob,” an event where Sen. Bob Casey from Pennsylvania meets with anyone visiting from PA. At breakfast, not only did we get a picture and a chance to talk with Senator Casey, but he handed us his signed endorsement of the legislation that would create a U.S. Public Service Academy. After breakfast, we moved from office to office, speaking with Congressmen and women and their staffers and gaining support for the bill. At the end of the day, after a spirited meeting with Rep. Rick Renzi from Arizona, my group had gathered four or five Academy endorsements and personally met a handful of Senators and Representatives.

Attending the Public Service Academy Conference was an awesome experience and one that left me wanting to spend more time on Capitol Hill. Last semester as part of Syracuse’s Maxwell in Washington Program, I was selected for an internship in Sen. Casey’s DC office. My time with the Academy YAC played a large part in helping me land that experience, and it was one that I absolutely loved. If you’re thinking about attending, it is a great decision. If you’d like to learn more about my experience, I’d be happy to share with you. Send me an email at tfbiba@syr.edu.

But most importantly–Sign up and go this summer!!