An injury that cut short Mike Puskaric’s football career led him to find a new calling in politics -- and a seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. 

Puskaric needed to find a new outlet when he injured his back playing football. Dr. Frank Klapak helped Puskaric, a communication major, see the “complex communication chess match that is constantly occurring behind the scenes. 
This showed me the importance of having knowledgeable people who understand those complexities holding elected seats,” he says. 

Puskaric broke into politics by serving with his local Young Republicans chapter while working as a licensed title insurance agent. That experience, combined with his Seton Hill years, “helped me develop into someone who has the ability to not only govern, but to truly give back to my community.” 

Puskaric was elected in 2018 to serve more than 60,000 constituents in parts of Allegheny and Washington counties. His legislative priorities are economic development, infrastructure improvements, and tax reform. A key component of economic development is attracting and retaining talent in the state, and replacing old things like steel-mill sites with new technology-based businesses, he says. 

“Pennsylvania is home to some of the brightest minds, graduating from our world-class universities,” Puskaric says. “We need to create an environment where we can retain them so our region will develop.” 

Puskaric serves on the Education, Insurance, Labor and Industry, and Commerce committees. House Speaker Mike Turzai selected Puskaric to serve as chairman of the Subcommittee on Housing under the House Commerce Committee. 

Seton Hill’s young alumni are making their mark on the world through their work in science and healthcare, finance and business, industry, entertainment and service to those in need. The Fall/Winter 2019 edition of Seton Hill’s Forward magazine featured 30 of these alumni, all under the age of 30. You can find all of their stories here on Seton Hill’s site (just look for the “30 Under 30” icon).