Nathan Conroy
Written by Victoria Barry
Convinced of his alma mater’s excellence, Nathan Conroy notes “only a select few are admitted to Hillsdale College, and I’m proud to be one of those ‘chosen few’ who is called upon to represent all that Hillsdale stands for.” Nathan graduated in 2005 with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Chemistry. However, unlike many Hillsdale students, he felt no special connection upon first encountering the college. He states, “for whatever reason, Hillsdale stayed in the back of my mind…I’d like to think a little divine intervention worked in my favor.” He was definitely drawn to the “small campus atmosphere,” which in addition to being a familiar setting provided the chance to interact with professors at a deeper level and encouraged active participation in campus activities.
As Nathan discovered during his first semester, hard work is important and indeed imperative to success at Hillsdale. His primary advice to current and future Hillsdale students is to “work hard, work very hard.” Nathan currently teaches biology, chemistry, and genetics at Bishop Dwenger High School in Fort Wayne, IN, where he serves as chairman of the science department. He tries to instill the same work ethic in his students that he learned while studying at Hillsdale.
Active in Hillsdale’s βββ Biology Honorary and ΣΖ Math and Science Honorary, he also belonged to the Sigma Chi Fraternity. In addition to these groups, Nathan played percussion with the pep band throughout his entire Hillsdale career. Nathan urges students to “try lots of different things to see what you enjoy.” He found that campus involvement not only built friendships and a sense of community, but also helped him “to stay focused and on task.”
In response to the question of which Hillsdale memories he found particularly influential, he sagely answered, “you don’t really necessarily remember one particular lesson or experience, but it’s the people you shared them with that truly counts.” Although Hillsdale did not initially impress him, Nathan now expresses his gratitude at having attended this college which continuously “connects me with not only great people, but great ideals.”
Victoria Barry is a junior majoring in English with a minor in Classical Education. She participates in Hillsdale’s Catholic Society, volunteers at Mary Randall Preschool, and is the vice-president of the A.A. Milne Society.