I hail from Cincinnati, Ohio, the home of perpetually awful professional sports teams, Skyline Chili, and Graeter’s, the best ice cream in the world. At Hillsdale, I serve as president of Delta Tau Delta fraternity, a brotherhood of men dedicated to virtue and excellence in all areas of life. I also serve as a supervisor in the Suites, an academic mentor for the football team, and a student ambassador.

After homeschooling through twelfth grade, I attended a large public university for my freshman year of college. Prior to enrolling, I envisioned myself as a leader in the classroom, constantly raising my hand to challenge my professor’s opinions and promoting discussion among my peers. Unfortunately, upon my arrival, I realized that diverse viewpoints, particularly those reflecting a Christian or classical worldview, were not welcome.
 
I will never forget my first class at this institution: a requirement for all students entitled “Cultural Diversity.” My professor began class by spending an hour explaining his Marxist and atheistic persuasion and warning us that by the end of the semester, our understanding of the world would be radically transformed. I attempted to challenge my teacher for the first several weeks of school, but quickly found myself alone in my beliefs and enthusiasm for seeking the truth.
 
Disheartened, I began reconsidering my college decision. By February of the following year, I transferred to Hillsdale College, what had been my second choice as a senior in high school. I chose Hillsdale for the liberal arts, which I believed offered the kind of education that I had longed for at my previous university.

Its mission: to pursue truth and defend liberty. No other college in the country is as united in its convictions and grounded in its principles.

Lord willing, I would like to attend graduate school for political philosophy or public policy and continue my education.

Hillsdale has incredible connections in our nation’s capital, both with think tanks and on Capitol Hill. Last summer, Hillsdale greatly assisted me in obtaining an internship with the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. While at Heritage, I worked in the Domestic Policy department and researched health care policy. The highlight of my summer was a two-hour conversation that the interns were able to have with Justice Clarence Thomas in the Supreme Court Chamber. Without Hillsdale, I am confident that I would have never had this experience.

In the fall, Dr. Freeh took me and five other Hillsdale students on retreat to a Benedictine monastery called Holy Cross in Chicago, Illinois.  It was a wonderful time of spiritual rest, reflection, and fellowship. During the trip, I had several great conversations with Dr. Freeh ranging from the similarities and differences between Catholic and Protestant Christianity, to dating (he provided particularly helpful advice in the latter discussion!). The generosity and sincere interest that Dr. Freeh showed me and the other students on this retreat is a testament to all of the professors at Hillsdale, who offer themselves not only as teachers, but as friends in the highest sense of the word. 

The liberal arts have taught that education is more than filling my brain with gobs of mindless data or a means to putting me on the most lucrative career path. Rather, it is the business of shaping souls to know the noblest and highest realities about God, human beings, and the world in which we live. I have learned much at Hillsdale, but more importantly, I have learned to love to learn. This is a blessing that I will cultivate and cherish for the rest of my life.

tshunk@hillsdale.edu