Every year, hundreds of leaders receive training from Patriot Academy. And every year that number is increasing! Through email updates, our social media, and the Patriot Press, we work to keep you informed about the impact that supporters like you are having through Patriot Academy’s work.
It’s one thing for us to tell you about the impact Patriot Academy is having, and the difference it is making in the hearts and lives of America’s leaders, but it’s another thing for us to show you.
And what better way than through the testimony of the students themselves.
What first got you interested in Patriot Academy?
I had actually never heard of Patriot Academy. I’ve been fascinated by government and politics for a couple of years and mid-2017 I started looking for an organization that offered a program to learn how it works with hands-on opportunities.
I was convinced something had to exist that teaches people how to participate intelligently from a Christian perspective. I found Patriot Academy on Google after doing some digging and was so excited to find out I was still eligible to go!
I have become convinced over the past two years that there is a great need for strong believers who will skillfully work the system in order to preserve this nation.
Was the experience what you had expected? Why or why not?
Patriot Academy was so different from what I expected.
In all honesty I was expecting more akin to a themed summer camp style, but it was not.
Patriot Academy was one of the most intense, exciting, and exhausting weeks I’ve ever experienced—and it was exhilarating!
It sometimes felt like drinking from a fire hose when there were lectures all day long; there is SO MUCH information to take in. One of my goals for the week was to determine once and for all if I loved these topics and the work enough to spend my life on them, and I am excited to have found an answer.
Has Patriot Academy changed the direction where you see your life heading?
Because of the hands-on experiences at Patriot Academy I can confidently say I will be pursuing opportunities to work with legislators to help strengthen and preserve our nation at every level.
What particular skills did Patriot Academy teach you that you are using today?
I love the way Patriot Academy challenges each student to hone their reasoning skills and to increase the speed at which they can reach logical conclusions.
When you are working the House Floor you don’t have 3-4 hours to mull an idea over, you have to compose your questions quickly and be bold about getting them out before a bill passes. Committee meetings are similar, you have to keep track of the different lines of questioning and learn how to ask questions that will help your members and maybe even the presenter to think of something that may not otherwise be considered.
What opportunities and/or connections came as a result of Patriot Academy?
I made a lot of friends, and several have been amazing about answering my questions as I consider my future possibilities!
What was the most important thing you learned at Patriot Academy?
Do it!
There were several opportunities at Patriot Academy, to say nothing of Patriot Academy itself, that I could have passed on but seizing those opportunities, big or small, can be game changers.
You have to work for it, but if there is something you want to do and the opportunity presents itself, don’t hesitate because of fear, just determine that no matter the result you will be better off for trying.
I would not have the knowledge, experience, or opportunities I have now if I had been afraid of being too old for Patriot Academy, or too unprepared for other opportunities during Patriot Academy week, but I will never regret that I said “yes” anyway.
