Beyond the Bubble: Navigating Professional Life After College

Mark Vandegrift (‘92) discusses the importance of running toward your passion while remaining versatile, a skill he learned through his time at Hillsdale as both an accounting and German major. Mark’s career took him from working in the Big 6 of the accounting world to seminary to holding almost every position at Innis Maggiore, the nation’s leading positioning ad agency, before being named its CEO in 2023. Mark i...

Caroline Koperski (‘15) shares how she prepared herself for PA school while studying Economics and Spanish, balancing her love for the humanities with her desire to practice medicine. While at Hillsdale, Caroline volunteered at the local hospital, was on Mock Trial, a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma, and so much more. Since finishing her master's, Caroline has journeyed back to Hillsdale with her family, practicing medicine via T...

Daniel Higbie (‘98) discusses how business owners and entrepreneurs can work to impact and grow the cultures they live in, focusing on good work over profit. At Hillsdale College, Daniel pursued a degree in Rhetoric and Persuasive Communication before getting his master’s in international relations. Since finishing school, he has been running The St. James Tearoom in Albuquerque, New Mexico —a business he co-found...

Christa Green (’20) discusses how her passion for psychological counseling and her faith led her to pursue a career in Christian counseling. At Hillsdale College, Christa pursued a psychology degree and worked as a resident assistant, where she was first drawn to counseling as a career option. After getting her master's in social work and seeing how current agendas affected the children she worked with at a crisis center, Chr...

Susan Peterson
Principle Gifts Officer at Mayo Clinic

Making Philanthropy Possible
Susan Peterson is the Principle Gifts Officer at Mayo Clinic. She meets with benefactors and institutional leaders to match Mayo Clinic’s programs with philanthropic efforts. Peterson shares her experience working at Harvard as a journalism fellow, making a positive impact through her career, and her favorite Hillsdale memories. This is an epis...

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 conti...

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 responsibilitie...

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. She...

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 e...

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 legisla...

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 administrat...