Early Childhood Education, English, and Spanish

I was born and raised on Washington Island: a five-by-seven-mile island off the tip of the thumb of Wisconsin. I was fortunate enough to grow up with two loving parents and an exceptional older brother. I have wonderful childhood memories of playing in my grandpa’s hay barn, riding the cows and horses, sliding down the steep sides of the family gravel pit in boxes, racing mopeds around my grandparents' driveway, swimming in the beautiful Lake Michigan, attending and leading youth group and Vacation Bible School, and going on adventures in the woods with my best friend, Jennelle. In high school I participated in basketball, track and field, and soccer, along with student council, yearbook, choir and piano lessons, and a vocal sextet. Music has always been a huge part of my life. Together with my maternal aunts, uncles and cousins, my three-generation family comes together several times a year to perform benefit concerts. We help support several performing arts theaters and different people in need. We sing, dance, play instruments, dress up in costumes, and laugh.

I graduated from Washington Island School with my 10 other classmates in June of 2006 and began my freshman year at Hillsdale College the following August. My brother was a senior working as a resident assistant in Simpson Dorm. As a student at Hillsdale, I am studying education to be an elementary teacher with an Early Childhood Education endorsement. I continue my music as a member of Sigma Alpha Iota as well as my athletic involvement through intramural sports. I also am on the planning committee for Hillsdale Christian Fellowship and work several nights a week for SAGA Catering Company. My sophomore and junior year I worked as a resident assistant and continue to be a part of the orientation team. I love to travel and try new things. I also have a dream of one day acquiring my pilot’s license.

Hillsdale also has a special place in my heart because it is where I met Andrew Kehren, the wonderful man who is now my husband. After his graduation i

I visited several times with my family while my brother was attending here and fell in love with the school. Coming from a graduating class of 11, I knew I wanted to go to a smaller school. I also love Hillsdale's curriculum. I’m glad that in my freshman English classes I read the classics such as Paradise Lost and the Iliad. I like that Hillsdale is so pro-America and conservative. Being raised in a Republican, Christian home, Hillsdale provides a place that promotes my values, but also challenges me to make my faith real and discover for myself why I believe what I believe. Hillsdale is a place where I can meet new people and be who I want to be, and also be pushed to grow both mentally and spiritually.

The Island (as the natives call it) is so small that everybody knows everybody. Growing up, I was surrounded by an entire town of people who loved, supported, and encouraged me all along the way. These neighbors have all personally had a part in making me who I am today. At Hillsdale College, I feel the same support structure. My professors from freshman year remember my name and stop to talk to me when they see me around campus. At most colleges there is a strict line between students and their superiors, but not at Hillsdale College. Here, faculty provide office hours for students to meet one-on-one for help and encourage students to stop by just to chat if they do not have a question. My professors genuinely want to know me, not just what I know.
At Hillsdale College, the faculty pushes students to succeed. The professors pull students out of their comfort zone and challenge the students to think for themselves; however, they also are there to help and guide the students through life and the rigorous course work.
Along with meeting brilliant professors, I have built many new friendships with peers. Most of my friends here have been unexpected. Many of my friends have different interests than me, but we are tied together with similar morals and the love of learning. I know that many of my relationships here will last a lifetime.

After graduation I plan to move down to Savannah, Georgia, where my husband is stationed. I will be certified preschool through sixth grade, but I would ideally like to teach third or fourth grade. I am excited to move to a completely new area of the country for a few years, and to see what Savannah has to offer. I am also looking forward to being an Army wife and experiencing all the adventures that come with life on an Army base.

My freshman year I came to Hillsdale knowing only my brother and his now wife. I met my roommate on move-in day. Somewhere in the conversation, a joke was told and everyone laughed. Now, anyone who has been around me knows that I snort when I laugh. I tried to avoid it as to make a good first impression, but inevitably, the snort came out. To my surprise, my snort was echoed. Melissa later revealed to me that as I left to buy books with my family, she turned to her parents and said, “It’s going to be okay. My roommate snorts too!” Except for one semester, we have lived together our entire college journey.

I remember one night freshman year, Melissa and I started talking about religion. Within minutes, our suitemates and two girls from across the hall had joined us. Our group now consisted of a Missouri Synod Lutheran, an Evangelical Free, two Catholics, a Presbyterian, and a Non-denominational. Although none of us are religion majors or minors, we spent the next several hours peacefully discussing why each denomination believes what it does and challenging each other to defend our beliefs. We ended the conversation realizing there were parts of our own belief systems we believed because we were simply following in our parents’ footsteps. It pushed all of us to step back and individually discover what we believed.

I remember at the end of my first semester, freshman year, it snowed in October. One day in late October, I walked out of my morning class to six inches of snow on the ground. As I walked toward the dining hall, a snow ball exploded at my feet. I looked up to see a snow ball war taking place in the center of the quad. I do not know if there were actually teams, or if it was every man for himself, but people were diving behind trees and filling garbage cans with ammunition to be used in an emergency. As I stood watching for several minutes, I noticed that among the winter coats, hats and mittens, there were ties, dress shoes, and suit coats. Multiple professors, including Dr. Arnn, the president of the College, had seen the opportunity and seized the moment. Only at Hillsdale College can students have this type of relationship with their professors.

I like that Hillsdale takes a liberal arts approach, especially in the Education Department. Hillsdale’s core curriculum requires students to take classes from English to science to a foreign language to psychology. I feel as though taking this wide variety of classes will give me more prior knowledge to make connections across the curriculum. It also gives me more information to draw from as I give my future students examples and explanations.

Taking classes outside of my major has widened my interests as well. I have learned to appreciate ideas and theories that I avoided before out of ignorance. This has opened my eyes and mind to new ideas and aspects of life. Visiting my state capitol is a new experience after taking the Constitution course, and there is much more to see in London after discussing the English, their beliefs and their traditions. The more I know, the more I want to know.
My liberal arts education makes me a more balanced human being and helps me connect with many different types of people. I am able to discuss basic chemistry with someone even though my minors are in English and Spanish. Also, Hillsdale’s core curriculum has given me the ability to form educated beliefs and opinions and make informed decisions. It has both challenged and encouraged me as I, along with my fellow students, pursue knowledge and the truth and attempt to build the future.

mkehren@hillsdale.edu