Patrick Higney

Student

“SMC is a pool of information and services. If you apply yourself, you’ll be working out the equation to move successfully forward in life.”

He left the cold of Toronto and an unhappy family situation, and headed for warmer climate and people. “I was 17 when I got to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and I got a job delivering motor yachts to Atlantic City the first day,” recalls Patrick Higney. It was the beginning of quest for a better life that was to include his brother, then 11. “He was having a worse time at home than I was, so I sent for him and got him in school, where he was happy.” But while caring for his brother, Patrick somehow lost sight of what was important in his own life.

“I became a ‘jack of all trades, master of none,’ and ended up acting,” says Patrick, who now holds a 4.0 GPA and is leaning towards pre-med studies. “I got involved with a film company that was very unethical and, as a result, started writing a book about all the troubles of being an actor in LA. You find a lot of scam artists in this town who can make your experience both financially and spiritually draining,” he says. “So when I needed to square up some of my ideas for writing, I took an English class at SMC—and that was my entree,” adds Patrick. “I ran into an absolutely incredible teacher named Sylvia Bock, and she encouraged me to get back into school full time.”

Patrick’s two best friends, both doctors, are urging him into medicine. “Science and math have always been interests, and I’m only now taking them seriously. But I’ve been inspired by a lot of very helpful teachers,” he says. “And the spirit they have in their approach to work and creating successful lives is contagious.”

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