A Summer with American History

The summer before my junior year of high school, I had the opportunity to take part in Hillsdale College’s Roots and History of American Liberty high school summer travel course. I was a homeschooled student, and just finished my American Government class, which utilized many of Hillsdale’s free online lectures. I had been interested in Hillsdale since the eighth grade, but these lectures helped me better understand the College’s values, as well as sparked an interest in American history and our country’s founding principles.

From the first reading of the study packet that was mailed to me in advance of our summer course—Washington’s farewell address—I was hooked. I saw so much beauty and purpose in the American Founding, and was anxious to arrive on campus in July. Our first few days were spent in lectures which left my mind spinning with new ideas, but also afforded me the chance to make new friends, discovering shared interests and values in post-lecture conversations and playing cards on the residence hall couches and talking about favorite sitcoms until dinner. Our studies left us learning about the Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian traditions as the bedrock of the American republic. Looking back now as a Hillsdale College student, I see how those lectures emulated the teaching style of our undergraduate-level courses, analyzing documents we prepared for the lectures and opening our eyes to more complex ideas we might not have caught in our own reading, leaving us with a greater understanding and appreciation for the work.

After two days of lectures, we hit the road, ready to experience the historic places we were reading about for ourselves. One of my favorite aspects of traveling was the free time between scheduled sites. In Gettysburg, we didn’t have much time to spend in the cemetery as a group, but some new friends and I enjoyed ice cream as we walked among memorials in our free time, searching for the oldest grave and watching the sun set over the hallowed ground. When we were in D.C., we got to sit in on sessions of the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. The city and the places around us seemed to come alive with the fresh knowledge of our readings and lectures.

My experiences that summer as a high school Hillsdale student inspire me still. The course provided me with a foundation of experience and perspective I brought with me to my undergraduate studies, as well as new friends and a deeper love for Hillsdale’s work to uphold our country’s founding principles.

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Phoebe VanHeyningen comes to Hillsdale from nearby Jackson, Michigan. She’s involved on campus in Catholic Society and as a photographer for the Collegian student newspaper, and enjoys music-making, dancing, and spontaneous adventures with friends.