About Me

Hello! My name is Pat Ritchie. Here's a little bit about me. 

I'm originally from a well-known place called Pocono Lake, Pennsylvania. (Yes, that's "The Poconos" that you've heard of.) I graduated from Pocono Mountain West High School in 2019, then moved to Clarion for Clarion University's Library Science program. 

Then COVID happened. Thankfully, I escaped it relatively unscathed, but not everyone I know did.

I ended up moving back to Pocono Lake for two semesters (because the university forced us to leave), then I returned in early 2021. I chose to stay in Clarion rather than move between the two areas because Clarion is what I view as a city with potential. We have the potential to become a hub for travel with public transportation, potential to be a leader in the affordable housing sector, potential to incubate new businesses, potential to champion LGBTQ rights, and more. 

I recently graduated Summa Cum Laude from (what was) Clarion University with a Masters in Library and Information Science. I also hold an Undergraduate in Library Science, with concentrations in Politics and Law, as well as a Paralegal Certificate. Together, these make for a powerful toolkit of research skills vital to the functioning of a state legislature. The overlap between managing a library, a law office, and the PA State House is greater than you think. 

I started my business, Clarion Carrier LLC, in December of 2021 after discovering a lack of viable transportation options for a huge percentage of the residents of Clarion County. Since then, I have been trying to work to improve transportation efforts within the county, to no avail - the incumbent representative has obviously done absolutely nothing to address this and no other candidate has plans to. My business is also working in partnership with various organizations to get food products delivered to people who need them. 

I've recently increased my involvement with local organizations, including Indivisible: We Rise, where I am one of the Conference Leads as well as the Tech Support person. You'll often find me behind the camera at their events - feel free to come say hi! (Psst - if you're wondering when the next one is, or where else you can find me, check the Events tab above.)