Patrick Cook-Deegan

In the summer of 2005, Patrick traveled through New Zealand, Australia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, eventually arriving in Istanbul, Turkey where he spent the fall semester at the University of the Bosporus. It was the first time Patrick had ventured outside of North America or Europe. The trip, particularly the time in Southeast Asia, is what inspired Patrick's cycling trip.

Following the bicycle trip, Patrick took the year off from Brown and spoke to over 40 middle school, high schools, and universities about his journey. During his speaking tour, Patrick was the youngest ever William J. Clinton Distinguished Lecturer at the Clinton School of Public Service in Little Rock, AR (other speakers in the series include Colin Powell and Madeline Albright).

During his year off, Patrick started a non-profit called Transform Abroad. The mission of the organization was to send low-income American high school students abroad for a summer to volunteer in a developing country. After raising $30,000, six students were provided with a scholarship to participate in the program in the summer of 2007. Patrick started the organization because of his belief that global citizenship starts by experiencing life abroad.

In November 2006, Patrick began volunteering as the Northeast Student Coordinator for the US Campaign for Burma. Over the past two years he has raised over $75,000 for the organization as well as publishing articles on Burma and working with numerous high school and university chapters. During the political uprising in Burma last September, Patrick organized demonstrations at college campuses all over the country in support of the non-violent Burmese monks and civilians. At Brown, he led one of the largest political demonstrations in recent Brown history: nearly half the student body wore a red shirt to show solidarity with the monks in Burma and 400 people attended a rally with former Senator Lincoln Chafee and Fernando Cordoso, the former President of Brazil.

During his senior year, Patrick continued to speak in schools throughout New England. He has now spoken at more than 65 schools including stops at Duke University and Andover Academy.

An All-American high school lacrosse player, Patrick has traveled to over 25 countries, speaking with hundreds of people along the way. He has been published in the Providence Journal and Abroad View Magazine. Patrick is currently on the board of the US Campaign for Burma, a recruitment adviser to Global Citizen Year, and a member of the Steering Committee for the Brown Social Entrepreneurship network.