Redefining Education: Jason Young (’17) Inspires Students Through Innovative Teaching
September 3, 2025 | 2-3 min read
Jason Young (’17) is redefining childhood education through creativity, vision, and a commitment to excellence. With a Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance and a minor in Business from Florida College, he has spent the past nine years blending artistry and strategy as an educator. Today, he teaches music to kindergarten through fifth-grade students at Patel Elementary in Tampa, Florida—showing them that learning is more than memorization.
At Patel, Young built the school’s music program from the ground up, shaping it to meet academic standards while encouraging creativity. His passion for curriculum development has become a hallmark of his career, and recently, he partnered with Fortress Christian School to design an innovative math curriculum that emphasizes practical application.
“Writing curriculum uses all facets of my skill set, from creativity to logic,” Young explains. “Math builds on itself like a story, so our goal is to give kids a practical approach and show how math plays a part in their world.”
Young traces this vision back to his days at Florida College, where professors pushed him to think bigger and pursue excellence. In the music program, instructors inspired him to go beyond mediocrity, while in the business program, he was challenged to reimagine education through a research project. Those experiences gave him a model for using creativity and discipline to drive meaningful change in the classroom.
Today, Young remains connected to Florida College through Camp Rock, where he blends his love for music with mentoring young students.
“Camp Rock is one of my favorite weeks of the year,” Young says. “I get to know some of the younger college students, and many of the clinicians have become close friends over the years.”
Young continues to teach, mentor, and innovate with a clear purpose: to make learning meaningful and fun. Guided by the values instilled at FC and the example of mentors who challenged him, he is working to advance childhood education with creativity, excellence, and care.