As state lawmakers in the 2020 Maryland General Assembly are crunching their way through challenging budget decisions and hundreds of proposed pieces of legislation, members of the Montgomery County Delegation in Annapolis got a welcome Valentine’s Day visit on February 14 from students for the annual USG Student Advocacy Day.
Sixteen student leaders from USG – representing the various universities that offer programs on campus – boarded a bus to Annapolis and spent the day meeting with state delegates and senators to urge their strong, continued support for USG and its mission to provide students with convenient access to affordable, high-quality public higher education.
Students who participated in Advocacy Day joined USG Executive Director Stewart Edelstein and Board of Advisors Chair Mike Knapp in a presentation to the Montgomery County Delegation.
USG Student Council President Mikal Abraha, a senior in the University of Maryland, College Park, Biological Sciences program at USG, spoke on behalf of her fellow students, highlighting many of the benefits of attending USG. Abraha noted that thanks to the scholarships she has been able to secure as a student at USG, she is looking forward to graduating this May without any college debt.
Following the delegation meeting, the 16 participating students broke into two groups to observe both the Maryland Senate and House of Delegates’ legislative session for the day. State Senator Nancy King introduced and recognized the students from the Senate floor and Delegate Marc Korman did so from the House floor. Students also enjoyed some time exploring the historic Maryland State House.
Before returning to the USG campus, the USG students enjoyed lunch in the Montgomery County Delegation room and had a dialogue with two guest speakers: Patrick Hogan, Vice Chancellor for Government Relations at the University System of Maryland; and P.J. Hogan, a former state senator and now a principal for the lobbying firm, Cornerstore Government Relations, who is a longtime member of the USG Board of Advisors and was among the founders of USG.
