Beyond the Bubble: Navigating Professional Life After College

Ben Murrey ('12)
Director of Policy at the Common Sense Institute

Making an Impact in the World of Politics
Ben Murrey (‘12) is the Director of Policy at the Common Sense Institute, a role he recently started. At Hillsdale, Murrey majored in Politics and promised never to work in politics, but after graduation took a job working on Ted Cruz’s Senate campaign. He shares his experience starting as a campaign volunteer and cont...

Adam Stockford ('15)
Mayor of Hillsdale, Michigan

Applying Lessons from the Politics Classroom in Public Office
Adam Stockford (‘15) is the current Mayor of Hillsdale. Stockford majored in Politics and reflects fondly on his relationship with the Hillsdale College Politics department. Mayor Stockford shares his understanding of the duty to serve your community, the most important realms of local politics, his responsibiliti...

Trent Kramer ('13)
Headmaster at Ascent Classical Academies 

The Havoc-Filled Life of a Headmaster
Trent Kramer (‘13) is the Headmaster at Ascent Classical Academy. He discusses the diversity of work as a Headmaster, which includes strategic planning, teaching, relationship building, and sometimes cleaning up bloody noses! Mr. Kramer shares the beauty of preparing kids for life rather than just college and vocation, building...

Brittany Baldwin ('12)
Founder and Owner, Illuminate Consulting, LLC

How to Become a Presidential Speechwriter
Brittany Baldwin (‘12) is the former speech writer to President Donald Trump and Senator Ted Cruz. Ms. Baldwin speaks to her experience making a career out of writing, working her way from the front desk of Senator Cruz’s office to a role as the sole speech writer on his campaign, and her role in the White House. Sh...

Lauren Carl ('14)
Vice President of Digital Operations & Integration at Pinkston

Adapting in the Ever-Changing World of Public Relations
Lauren Carl (‘14) is Vice President at Pinkston, a strategic communications firm. Her role at Pinkston focuses on operations and working with clients on the design and creation of PR materials such as digital marketing and web design. After graduating with an ...

Frank Maisano (‘89)
Government Relations Senior Principal At Bracewell Law Firm

How To Make an Impact In Government Relations
Frank Maisano (‘89) began his career on the Hill and has spent the past 20 years as a non-attorney working in the Government Relations section of Bracewell Law Firm. The Government Relations section is a specialized practice that takes on clients facing regulatory and legisl...

Stephen Ford (‘10)
Owner of West Exec Writing

Writing Speeches for the Vice President
Would you rather serve pizza or write speeches for Mike Pence? Mr. Stephen Ford (‘10) joins Beyond the Bubble to share his experiences navigating life post-grad in Washington D.C. with a Politics degree, where he built a full-time writing career and served as Head Speech Writer to former Vice President Mike Pence during the Trump administra...

Carley Ross (‘14)
National Account Manager at Ferrero

A Career in the CPG Industry
On this week’s episode of Beyond the Bubble, Carley Ross (‘14) shares about her experiences working in the CPG industry. As a national account manager at Ferrero, she manages value customer accounts like Aldi and Big Lots. Her responsibilities include planning, executing, and managing the customer plan. On a daily bas...

David Stanton (‘98)

Headmaster at Oakdale Classical School 

From the U.S. Navy to Education
David Stanton (‘98) shares his experience as the Headmaster at Oakdale Academy and from a career of teaching History and Religion. His career in education is intertwined with a career in the U.S. Navy Reserve, where Stanton developed leadership skills and experience. Stanton imparts advice for students interested in teaching or administ...

Kevin Roberts (‘05)

Director of Industry Insights and Analytics at CarGurus

Insights into a Career in Business Intelligence
As the Director of Industry Insights and Analytics at CarGurus, Kevin Roberts (‘05) analyzes economic and macro trends in the automotive industry to create impactful insights for his company. He shares the importance of developing critical thinking skills and learning how to share dense information in an ...

Candace Corrales (‘16)
Lead Program Manager, Apex Legends Esports at Electronic Arts (EA)

In this episode of Beyond the Bubble, Candace Corrales (‘16) shares how her passion for video games scored her a career in the gaming industry. She talks about her early experiences in the industry and explains how she utilized diligent networking to land a job at Electronic Arts working on a program management team at Apex Legends Esports...

Caleb Bowers (‘15)
Mission Software Engineer at Andruil Industries

Applying Math to Defense Technology

As a software engineer at Andruil Industries, Caleb Bowers (‘15) works on coding backend software and creating customized solutions for clients. Join Beyond the Bubble this week as he describes how he went from a computational and applied mathematics degree at Hillsdale to working in defense technology. He explains the import...

Garrett West (‘15)
Associate Attorney at Paul Weiss Law Firm

The Philosophy of a Career in Law

On this week’s episode of Beyond the Bubble, Garrett West (‘15) shares about his experiences working for Paul Weiss within their appellate group. On a daily basis, he works on drafting briefs, conducting research, and helping prepare for argument. He talks about his transition from Hillsdale to ...

As a Classical Education Instructional Coach, Trinity Wright’s (‘17) primary job is to observe teachers and help them improve their ability to teach classical curriculums. She also uses her knowledge of classical education to upgrade curriculum and teach additional classes. Listen now to hear Trinity explain the importance of gaining exposure to teaching as an undergraduate and the value of minoring in Classical Education if pursui...

As an Account Coordinator at Altus Marketing, Gracyn Hawkins (‘22) serves an integral role in managing events, fundraising, and communications for nonprofits helping youths facing homelessness. Listen now to hear how Gracyn combined her prior experience as a Court Appointed Special Advocate with her skills in marketing to continue driving positive, impactful change on a daily basis.

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On this week’s episode of Beyond the Bubble, Hank Prim (‘17) shares how he blended his interest in teaching with his passion for law enforcement as a Supervisory Special Agent & Training Administrator. In his daily work, he functions like a teacher as well as a police officer through his responsibility for the education and training of South Dakota law enforcement officers. Hank also talks through the process of becoming further in...

As a Certified Financial Planner, Jimmie Plaskey (‘12) loves the variety that he gets in his daily work. Join Beyond the Bubble this week as Jimmie talks about the ways to break into financial planning, the importance of soft skills like personability, and the excitement of helping other people achieve their financial goals. He also shares tips on how to stand out as an applicant in finance.

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Beyond the Bubble is back for the semester! On this week’s episode, join State Representative Andrew Fink (‘06) as he describes his journey from Hillsdale College to the Michigan Legislature. He walks through a day in the life of a legislator, shares how his experiences as a Judge Advocate for the Marine Corps helped shape his passion for politics, and offers insightful advice for students looking to pursue a legal or political car...