Football’s Billy Joraskie Sets Sights On Political Future

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – Billy Joraskie has a lot to say. His voice has served him well during his four years at Carnegie Mellon – on the football field, as chair of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council, as an ardent supporter of other Tartan programs and as an aspiring politician.

Joraskie, who spent the spring semester of his junior year as an intern at the Republican National Headquarters through a program at Georgetown University, is an international relations and politics major at Carnegie Mellon.  Joraskie is also majoring in philosophy.

"I'm very fortunate to be here. I wanted to come here after my first visit," Joraskie said. "Politics grabbed my attention because there's a game plan and a strategy to everything. It's uber-competitive and it gives me the same excitement of football."

In Washington, Joraskie took classes at Georgetown and spent three days a week in his role as an intern. He met a number of state governors and worked on important initiatives with Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus and his staff.

"I got there at a really unique time. We were leaned on to do stuff that staff would generally do," Joraskie said. "We were a bunch of interns that had a chance to take on some pretty big responsibilities."

The experience made a lasting impression on Joraskie, who has plans to pursue a political career following completion of his master's degree in public policy and management at Carnegie Mellon's Heinz College.
    
On the football field at Carnegie Mellon, Joraskie earned a role as the team's starting center during his sophomore year. He tore his labrum after the sixth game of the season and suffered serious injuries during each of the next two seasons. While the injuries were frustrating, Joraskie has gained perspective from the experience.
    
"I think it helped shape me. Even when stuff is going badly, life still goes on. I was injured, but the team still went out to play," Joraskie said. "I tried to help coach the other guys and do things to help get the team prepared. I tried to help out as much as I could."
    
That leadership ability is one of the major reasons Joraskie was selected by his peers to serve as co-chair of Carnegie Mellon's Student-Athlete Advisory Council during his junior year.
    
"SAAC definitely helped my leadership ability. I enjoyed being a voice for the student-athletes and having a say in NCAA legislation," Joraskie said. "It was kind of like being a representative in a political realm too. SAAC opened a lot of doors and it was a really great experience."
    
In addition to using his voice as a leader on the football team and in the student-athlete community, Joraskie has been one of the most visible supporters of other Carnegie Mellon athletics teams. He rarely missed a home basketball game during his four years in school.
    
"I'm very passionate about Carnegie Mellon. I'm competitive – I want to win and I want to see everyone else win," Joraskie said. "I have a lot of pride in Carnegie Mellon, so I might as well show it."
    
Joraskie grew up in Mount Carmel, Pa., a small town that cherishes its high school football. Joraskie was a three-year starter for Mount Carmel, following in the footsteps of his father, who went on to become a four-year starter at Lebanon Valley College.
    
"All the stores close down and there's a parade to the football stadium on Friday night. It's a unique place and there's a real sense of family among everyone in the town," Joraskie said.
    
Family has always been important to Joraskie, who is the oldest of four boys. Joraskie's brother Adam is a sophomore at Bucknell while brother Eric is a junior at Mount Carmel and is receiving interest from the Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Villanova football programs. Austin Joraskie is a freshman in high school.
    
"It was always cool to be the big brother but it's neat now to be proud of my little brothers who are excelling at what they're doing," Joraskie said.
    
And there's no question that his three brothers are proud of him, as the eldest Joraskie looks forward to using his voice to impact society in a positive fashion.
    
"Hopefully the master's will open a ton of doors because I eventually want to run for public office," Joraskie said.