User:Andrew.William.Jacob

Andrew William Jacob - commonly referred to as Andy - was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in March of 1988. After many relocations throughout his childhood, Andy's family eventually settled in Levittown, Pennsylvania where he spent the majority of his middle and high school years. After graduating in 2006 from Neshaminy High School, Andy began his four year Bachelor of Arts degree from Ithaca College with a specialization in Politics and a minor in English. He is currently on track to graduate in May 2010.

Through his hard work and efforts, Andy has managed to achieve a number of distinctions and real world experiences. These include membership to the Oracle Honor Society and his adventurous junior year abroad. During his time spent in London in Fall of 2008 and Washington, DC in Spring of 2009, Andy got a chance to experience his passions in a real world environment and benefited immensely from the experience.

''I have never felt more aware of my desires and attuned to my abilities. This past year provided me with direction, which coupled with my expanding experience, will lead me into what I hope will be a successful future.''

Part of those experiences were his work placements and internships. While in London Andy worked as a campaign assistant to two Labour candidates: Kevin Bonavia of Southend East and Rochford, and Tom Flynn of Southend West. This experience thrust Andy directly into the world of campaigning and local politics. Andy gained immeasurable experience in fund raising, public relations, ethics, online communications and the many aspects that make up a successful campaign.

''My most prized accomplishment in London was the creation of Kevin Bonavia's webpage. It truly gave me a chance to not only understand the process by which funding and political decisions are made, but it also forced me to sit down and read all of the content that is necessary for a campaign for public office. Not to mention it pointed me in the direction of online communications.''

While in Washington, DC, Andy worked as a research associate for the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) in the Cities for Peace/Cities for Progress (CFP) campaign. Here Andy gained even further understanding of local and domestic politics. Andy was elated to gain further experience working with web design and research. A lot of his work was focused on research for the many projects including participatory budgeting and municipal foreign policy. In addition, Andy was charged with updating the website and even created the CFP Facebook page.

Currently, Andy is working as a communications associate for the Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR). Here Andy is charged with a number of interesting and engaging tasks. The most noteworthy assignment that Andy has been spearheading is the campaign to increase public awareness of alternatives to costly and timely foreclosure litigation. A large portion of Andy's time has been spent researching and accumulating resources for this campaign, but it is only one of many responsibilities.

Despite having one more year left at Ithaca College, Andy feels ready to enter the "real world". ''After my first sheltered treks out into this world, I am excited by the prospects of being a productive member of society. My only wish is that I can find myself a job...''