Campus News
February 10th, 2026
GC students attend Advocacy Day in Annapolis
Delegations from all 16 Maryland community colleges participate
Photo by Jordan Stup
Maryland State Delegate Jim Hinebaugh (District 1A) met with a Garrett College student delegation last Thursday during Community College Student Advocacy Day in Annapolis. Pictured, clockwise from top left foreground, are: GC Dean of Student Affairs Dr. Robert "JR" Kerns, students Mia Barrios, Serenity Parker, Robert Deatelhauser, and Lucas Alonso, Delegate Hinebaugh, students Devin Durst, William Boddice, and Ethan Kirkpatrick, GC Student Activities Manager Drew Catone, and GC President Dr. Richard Midcap.
Annapolis, MD – Seven Garrett College students joined with student delegations from Maryland's other 15 community colleges last Thursday to participate in Community College Student Advocacy Day.
The event provided an opportunity for students to hear from state-level legislative leaders and meet with local legislators. The Garrett College students met with Delegate Jim Hinebaugh, their representative in District 1A.
"We need to hear from you," House of Delegates Speaker Pro Temp Luke Clippinger told the approximately 150 assembled students in the morning session. "We need to hear about your experiences. We'll keep fighting for you to ensure funding is there and support is there for you."
"I thought it was something that was beneficial for us to hear – that we need to advocate for ourselves," observed Garrett College student Mia Barrios, a freshman from Nampa, Idaho.
The students also heard from a three-member legislative panel – Senator Paul Corderman along with Delegates Sarah Wolek and Jessica Feldmark – as well as a student speaker, Chesapeake College's Sarah Crump.
Crump started her postsecondary education in 2013 before a decade-long interruption after her father was critically injured in a car accident.
"Life moves fast, as I found out at the end of my first college semester. I lost my housing, my financial support, and my number one fan," said Crump, who noted her father eventually recovered from his debilitating injuries.
"The whole next decade was filled with hard jobs – often several at the same time – and just struggling to get by," added Crump.
She returned to higher education at Chesapeake after a friend suggested she complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and discovered she was eligible for assistance. Crump said she came back to higher education "more engaged with my classmates, more ready to ask questions, and more capable of serving my campus community."
Crump added that "when you go to a community college, every dollar invested in a student grows exponentially" as students graduate, become employed, and contribute to their community.
"It was definitely a good story – I'm glad she got back into college," GC student Devin Durst, a Grantsville resident, said of Crump's speech.
Delegate Hinebaugh, in talking with the Garrett College students, also focused on the value of postsecondary education.
"I became a big advocate of community college as a way to improve career opportunities for young people," said Hinebaugh, who has been a strong supporter of Garrett College through his tenure as the county economic development director, a county commissioner, and presently as a state delegate.
Lucas Alonso, a GC international student from Spain, said he "learned a lot about how things work" at the state level in Maryland, and that he enjoyed meeting Delegate Hinebaugh.
"I loved what he [Hinebaugh] said" about the value of a community college education, Alonso observed.
"Student Advocacy Day is a great way for students to learn about Maryland's state government, and for them to tell their stories to our representatives," said GC Student Activities Manager Drew Catone, who organized Garrett College's participation in the day. "This way, our representatives know who and what they are fighting for."
The other GC students to participate in Student Advocacy Day were: Ethan Kirkpatrick (Ontario, Canada), Serenity Parker (Gulfport, MS), Robert Deatelhauser (Frostburg), and William Boddice (Baltimore).
