Bio: Alexander McCobin recognized the formal principles of his beliefs after reading Atlas Shrugged, a birthday present from his father in 9th grade. Throughout high school, Alexander participated in Lincoln-Douglas debate, which allowed him to study philosophy and particularly those who advocated the philosophical principles of liberty. During college at the University of Pennsylvania, Alexander began the University of Pennsylvania Libertarian Association to promote discussion and education of libertarian ideas on campus and expand his horizons regarding the power of the message of liberty. In the summer of 2007, he was an intern at the Reason Foundation, working on privatization efforts around the U.S. At the same time, he also ran a nonprofit organization to promote youth debate education to underserved students in the greater Philadelphia and mid-Atlantic region. In May, 2008, Alexander graduated from Penn with a B.A. in philosophy and economics and an A.M. in philosophy. He spent the following year working as a Koch Associate at the Cato Institute focused on marketing and development. He is currently a third year graduate student at Georgetown University pursuing his Ph.D. in philosophy with areas of interest in political philosophy and business ethics.
Favorite Figures in Liberty: Ayn Rand, Robert Nozick, & F.A. Hayek
On Students For Liberty: “After my first two years of college, I nearly gave up on my libertarian principles because I thought I was alone. It wasn’t until, by luck, I discovered others who believed in the same principles as myself that my passion to advocate for liberty was reignited. Students For Liberty exists to prevent other students who believe in liberty from feeling alone and empower them to pursue liberty whenever possible. Seeing SFL grow from a flicker of an idea into an incredible organization has only reaffirmed my passion for liberty and my belief that by bringing students together in a common effort for liberty, we can change the world.”
