Life After YAG

Written by: Gina Denny

One of the main themes of Youth and Government is that anyone has the chance to do something great and make a difference if they seek out their goals.  From YAG advisor and college student to Chief of Staff for Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman, Bobby Maggio is an example of this value of the program.

Coming from a working-class family, Maggio has worked hard to be in the position he is in today. Maggio attended Slippery Rock University, majoring in Political Science.  As a college student, he spent much of his time in the fast food industry in order to make ends meet, working his way up to a manager’s position. Maggio explains, “I feel like those experiences of working with the public and being involved in the everyday life really helped me in the world of politics.”  

Maggio learned about YAG from his younger sister, a delegate of the program at the time.  This program was something he felt was a great opportunity for students. He wished to be involved, but at that point was in college and unable to join as a delegate. To be a part of the program, he joined as an advisor of the Butler Family YMCA Delegation.

Since then, Maggio has been involved with political campaigns, specifically that of current Lt. Gov Fetterman. In this, he has spent much time visiting communities across the state and meeting many people. This experience with people has helped him with his current life working in public service and government.  

As the Chief of Staff, Maggio manages schedules and staff, attends events with Fetterman, and other duties relating to the Lt. Gov. He currently helps with a tour across Pennsylvania to gauge opinions from the public on the topic of the legalization of marijuana.  

One topics Maggio is passionate about is community development.  He believes the government needs to be out and involved with people.  Depending on where life takes him, Maggio would love to be a part of community development and help in low-income communities.  

Reflecting on how far he has come, Maggio recognizes that “hard work, putting ourselves through college, I think has really prepared me at 26 years old to be Chief of Staff for the Lt. Gov of Pennsylvania.” He is one of the youngest Chiefs of Staff, the youngest having been 25.  While he does face the occasional struggle because of his young age, he understands why he is in this position. “I don’t think I would be prepared and able to do this job if I didn’t have the life experiences of being a family that grew up in Butler, Pennsylvania that lived paycheck to paycheck and had to work and appreciate everything we had” Maggio points out.  

Through Maggio’s story, students can learn that anyone can make a difference. It does not matter where you come from, as long as you work towards your goals, you can achieve great things.