Paddy is an Economics/Arts student at the University of Queensland, majoring in Spanish and Peace and Conflict Studies.He grew up in Darwin, and was President of the Northern Territory Division of UN Youth in 2009.

Paddy is particularly passionate about global poverty and the complexities of economic development, and he has held voluntary positions at organisations including the Global Poverty Project, the Oaktree Foundation and the Multicultural Council of the Northern Territory. He has been involved with UN Youth since 2008, and is driven especially by their focus on the role of education in shaping young people’s perceptions of the world.