Latin

Whenever I say that I grew up in Southern California, the first question I am asked is if I see movie stars on a regular basis. The answer, of course, is unfortunately, no. I am from a suburb about 30 miles outside of Los Angeles, and Hollywood always seemed like a completely different state to me – (of course, it was a great place to visit!).

Due to my parents’ sacrifices, my siblings and I were able to attend small Catholic schools from kindergarten through high school. Throughout elementary and high school, my teachers and parents fostered a love of learning, a dedication to hard work, and a relationship with our Heavenly Father.

I have continued to maintain these principles in my education at Hillsdale. I am a captain of Hillsdale’s Mock Trial team, a member of the Honors program, an active member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, a Student Ambassador, and a writer for the Collegian, the Hillsdale student newspaper.

During my junior year of high school, my parents took me on a college visit trip during spring break. We visited Hillsdale as a part of this trip because I was attracted to Hillsdale’s size, but unsure on many other counts. My grandfather had received Imprimis for many years and we had heard about Hillsdale from him and other sources. I begrudgingly tagged along to placate my parents, who wanted to see the school “Rush was always talking about.” After taking a tour, however, I became more interested in Hillsdale. But hailing from grossly overpopulated California, I had never actually seen a big red barn or a cornfield. And a town without a Starbucks? Unthinkable. Hillsdale would not only be a change of location for me, it would be a change in culture.

I decided to take a leap of faith and stay overnight at Hillsdale to see if I thought I would fit in with the students there. After taking another tour, I told my student ambassador that I had homework to do and she left me in my room. About half an hour later, three freshman girls came and knocked on my door. They learned that a prospective student was visiting and wanted to give me their own tour of Hillsdale. We ran through the campus, snuck into the “Arb,” drove to McDonald’s, watched “Anne of Green Gables,” and colored in a princess coloring book. These girls, who were not paid by the College, took me under their wings and treated me like we were life-long friends. After leaving, I received letters from these girls every month. One even included a snowflake made from paper so that I could experience “real” Michigan snow.

Looking at these girls, I knew that I wanted to model my life after them. They were fun-loving, dedicated to their academics, strong Christians, and real. I knew that if they treated a random prospective student in such a way, then they must also have a deep love for each other. A deep sense of peace came over me when I sent in my deposit to Hillsdale. I knew Hillsdale would shape me into the person I was meant to be.

The community at Hillsdale is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. My friends and I share a deep and meaningful bond that helps us grow academically, spiritually, and socially. My professors never talk down to me, but actually want to have meaningful conversations. Upperclassmen fight for the opportunity to read and edit freshmen papers; I leave my laptop in a classroom overnight and it’s still sitting there the next morning. The blend of students at Hillsdale, as well as an atmosphere of respect and kindness, fosters a unique and unparalleled community.

Ideally, I would love to write for a publication like the Wall Street Journal. In this career, I could combine my love for economics with my passion for writing and journalism. Realistically, however, I would be content to follow in the footsteps of journalists like Andrew Breitbart and Mark Steyn.

I spontaneously drove to Chicago after too many hours writing a paper, ate fried cookie dough at the Hillsdale Fair, played tag in the snow, heard a speech by Mark Steyn, did a military-style workout with my sorority and the Dean of Men, ran through a cemetery in the pouring rain, unsuccessfully tried to climb a water tower, planned an Easter egg hunt for my professor’s children, and have had the opportunity to live in an Italianate house, that originally belonged to a governor of Michigan, with 14 amazing women. These are only a few of the unique experiences I’ve had while at Hillsdale College, but there are honestly too many to list.

My parents refused to allow me to take a car to college because I have no experience driving in the snow. As a result, I sometimes am forced to walk to the Catholic church downtown. One night, a friend and I were walking home from a late night mass. As I complained about the snow, we watched as our Rhetoric and Great Books professor, Dr. Bart, drove past in her car. At the stoplight, she turned the car around and pulled over on the opposite side of the street. She honked the horn and we ran over to her car. She said she did not want us to walk in the snow and asked us if we wanted a ride. As we climbed in, she turned down “All These Things That I’ve Done” by the Killers and launched into the story of how she named her car and the adventures the two of them had taken. She dropped us off at our respective dorms and told us to finish our homework, get a good night's sleep, and make sure we ate Greek yogurt in the morning so we would be prepared for her class.

The core curriculum at Hillsdale gives me many different ways in which to see and to understand the world. By studying the history of Western thought, I’ve read the great thinkers of the Western and American Tradition and have come to understand how to be virtuous and true. In economics, I’ve see the world through the implications of decisions we make in everyday life. Even through music, I have been given the opportunity to see the beauty in the world through what we are able to create. The core requirements have also exposed me to subjects I would have otherwise avoided like the plague. It has given me a respect for many different types of thinkers while I strive to become a true student of the Western tradition.

eepperson@hillsdale.edu