Race to 100 Alumni

Patrick Hickey Jr.

KCC Class of 2006
Major: Journalism and Print Media
Current Title/Profession: Assistant Professor of English, Director of the Journalism Program at KCC Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com

Self-Nominated

Patrick Hickey Jr. graduated from Kingsborough Community College in 2006 with a degree in Journalism and Print Media, and neither he nor Kingsborough were ready to let each other go. After earning his B.A. in Journalism from Brooklyn College and a graduate degree from the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, Patrick returned to KCC as a faculty member. Today he serves as an Assistant Professor at the very institution that helped launch his career, while simultaneously holding the role of Editor-in-Chief at Legacy Comics, a position he has held for nearly two decades.

Patrick’s professional journey reflects the discipline and adaptability he first developed as a college student. While completing his graduate studies at CUNY, he worked as an editor at NBC, gaining hands-on experience in one of the country’s most prominent newsrooms. As a Columbia Scholastic Press gold medalist, Patrick is able to bring both academic distinction and real-world credibility to his work. In his role at Kingsborough, he collaborates with the student newspaper, The Scepter, helping to mentor the next generation of journalists the same way his own professors once mentored him. His work with Professor Bryan McDonald helped ground him in the fundamentals of writing and reporting, and these skills remain a touchstone of his teaching philosophy.

At the heart of Patrick’s career is a commitment to responsibility and, to being someone who can be trusted to get things done, and to be someone who can tell peoples’ stories with care. Whether editing comics, teaching journalism, or raising a family, he sees these roles through the same lens of taking care of the people around him. “I believe in teaching people to write,” he says, “but more than that, I believe in showing up for them.” That ethos drives him in his classroom as much as at his editorial desk.

Patrick credits Kingsborough with pushing him to flex different muscles. Taking 15 to 18 credits a semester, working with the student newspaper, and navigating consistent academic challenges taught him not only how to write, but how to adapt on the fly and how to manage his time under pressure. He emphasizes that KCC’s professors gave him a micro-level view of what success looks like and how to properly pursue it. He further elaborates, “KCC provides a warm, inviting foundation for non-traditional students. There’s a nurturing quality here that you don’t always find at four-year schools.”

Patrick gives back to the institution because he knows that for many students, Kingsborough is the difference between having an opportunity and not having one at all. He believes deeply in the need to fund undergraduate experiences at the community college level, and he lives that belief every day by showing up to teach, mentor, and advocate for his students. He makes sure to tell each of his students, “Take your time seriously, establish connections with your professors, put your best foot forward, and always be ready to adapt. KCC is preparing you for your future.”