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establishing the Student Employee Program Handbook, a set of policies that supports students employed at the College.

“When I arrived at Skidmore, I needed to explore my interests to fgure out what I was most passionate about and interested in,” he says. “As soon as I discovered that, my education became more directed and personalized, and I got so much more out of my academic and extracurricular experiences.” Currently, Jon is pursuing his dual degrees in medicine (M.D.) and cell and molecular biology (Ph.D.) to advance his career goal of directing a biomedi-cal research laboratory where he can use his scientifc and medical expertise to develop novel therapeutic and preventive strategies against metabolic diseases. He will spend much of the next three to four years in the lab working on his Ph.D. dis-sertation and in the hospital taking care of patients. Jon’s current lab work centers on immune cells present in fat tissue and how they regulate the development of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Jon has been Skidmore’s Agnes Gelinas Young Alumni Trustee since 2012, serving on the board’s Strategic Planning, Academic Affairs, Student Life, and Advancement committees. Of the College’s plans to build a large, innovative new science facility, he says, “I am very excited to see Skidmore investing in the sciences. This building will represent the interdisciplinary, collaborative, and innovative nature of science at Skidmore, and it will greatly enhance the top-notch scientifc education and training that takes place on our campus.” Jon lives in Philadelphia with his wife, Allison Parker.

Mark Twain’s adage “A life not lived for others is a life not worth living” has always carried special meaning for

Patrick McEvoy ’03 . At 32, the Cape Cod native and managing director of international equities for Canaccord Genuity has already established an impressive resume as a civic volunteer and philanthropist for both national and international organizations, including the American Cancer Society and the American Ireland Fund. Skidmore has also been a primary benefciary of his passion for volunteerism. Signing on as a class agent and Friends of the Presidents donor immediately after graduation, he continues to bring boundless energy and dedication to leadership roles that are helping to build and energize a new generation of alumni volunteers and philanthropists.

Patrick arrived at Skidmore in a serendipitious way. His mother, Nancy, was passing through Saratoga Springs when she decided to tour Skidmore’s campus—and fell in love with the College and the city. Returning home, she talked up Skidmore to Patrick and his sister, Ashley ’09 . A subsequent trip to campus by Patrick “sealed the deal.” Once enrolled, he jumped into academics and athletics with both feet. The liberal arts breadth at Skidmore, he says, gave him the opportunity to indulge his “insatiable desire to learn across many disciplines.” He recalls French professor Marc-André Wiesmann, with whom he took a Liberal Studies I class, as a “brilliant” mentor who pushed him to pursue his study of the French language. “He was so completely enamored of the study of the humanities, yet so frmly rooted in the real world,” Patrick says. Patrick went on to study in the south of France, and then returned to volunteer

D A V I D H . P O R T E R A W A R D F O R Y O U N G A L U M N I S E R V I C E

Honors one alumna/us graduated one to 10 years who has demonstrated outstanding service to the College. Service may be evidenced in a variety of forms.