Consultant, Hillsdale College/2nd Lt. United States Marine Corps

I came to Hillsdale College after living my whole life in Ypsilanti, where my parents homeschooled my siblings and me. During my summers in between semesters at Hillsdale, I worked as a groundskeeper and a farmhand, and after my time at Hillsdale I worked on a congressional campaign. Following the campaign, I went to law school at the University of Michigan, got married, joined the Marine Corps, and my wife had our first child. I recently took the bar exam and I am waiting to go back onto active duty to finish my training at The Basic School in Virginia.

This question is difficult to answer confidently, so allow me to hedge a bit. I learned many important things at Hillsdale College. The necessity of the rule of law to lasting freedom, the importance of a liberal education in living an interesting life, the intellectual backbone of the founding of the United States, and more important lessons than I can count.

When you’re looking for a college, think more about what you want to learn than about location, size, prestige, or scholarship opportunities. Those things are all very good to consider, but you should respect yourself enough to focus on your education more than what will make life easier.

I wanted to study politics and I knew that Hillsdale had a strong politics department. I should add, I loved my major and the politics classes I took, but the core at Hillsdale has been just as valuable to my education.

Hillsdale taught me to think clearly, write with vigor, and take responsibility. All of these have helped me both in going through law school and in beginning a career in the military.

My wife and I met at Hillsdale, which certainly turned out to be the highlight, although it wasn’t obvious at the time. Since not everyone should expect to find a spouse at the college, allow me to mention two others: the men I lived with my freshman year have continued to be some of my best friends, even four years after I graduated; I have been able to keep up with my professors on a warm and personal basis—one of them is my daughter’s godfather. I don’t know whether small schools always make for close friendships, but I know that Hillsdale does.

affink@umich.edu