Mark Vandegrift (‘92) discusses the importance of running toward your passion while remaining versatile, a skill he learned through his time at Hillsdale as both an accounting and German major. Mark’s career took him from working in the Big 6 of the accounting world to seminary to holding almost every position at Innis Maggiore, the nation’s leading positioning ad agency, before being named its CEO in 2023. Mark is also the father of a ‘21 alumnus. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...
May 20, 2025•20 min
Caroline Koperski (‘15) shares how she prepared herself for PA school while studying Economics and Spanish, balancing her love for the humanities with her desire to practice medicine. While at Hillsdale, Caroline volunteered at the local hospital, was on Mock Trial, a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma, and so much more. Since finishing her master's, Caroline has journeyed back to Hillsdale with her family, practicing medicine via Telehealth. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
May 07, 2025•21 min
Daniel Higbie (‘98) discusses how business owners and entrepreneurs can work to impact and grow the cultures they live in, focusing on good work over profit. At Hillsdale College, Daniel pursued a degree in Rhetoric and Persuasive Communication before getting his master’s in international relations. Since finishing school, he has been running The St. James Tearoom in Albuquerque, New Mexico —a business he co-founded with his mother to bring the tradition of British high tea to their community. S...
Apr 11, 2025•18 min
Christa Green (’20) discusses how her passion for psychological counseling and her faith led her to pursue a career in Christian counseling. At Hillsdale College, Christa pursued a psychology degree and worked as a resident assistant, where she was first drawn to counseling as a career option. After getting her master's in social work and seeing how current agendas affected the children she worked with at a crisis center, Christa switched to adult group counseling. She currently works in Portlan...
Mar 26, 2025•26 min
Nate Stewart ('95) shares his journey to Hillsdale, the value of waiting before law school, and the importance of prioritizing family and creative passions. Tune in for insights on balancing career, life, and what truly matters! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 05, 2025•25 min
Listen to Episode 60 of Beyond the Bubble, where Caroline Greb shares her inspiring journey. Discover how she’s carved out a successful career in art while juggling the responsibilities of being a full-time wife and mother, emphasizing the significance of taking action and maintaining consistency in pursuing artistic passions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 20, 2025•28 min
Susan Peterson Principle Gifts Officer at Mayo Clinic Making Philanthropy Possible Susan Peterson is the Principle Gifts Officer at Mayo Clinic. She meets with benefactors and institutional leaders to match Mayo Clinic’s programs with philanthropic efforts. Peterson shares her experience working at Harvard as a journalism fellow, making a positive impact through her career, and her favorite Hillsdale memories. This is an episode you won’t want to miss! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inf...
May 15, 2024•19 min
Adriana Maljanian ('21) Associate Trust Manager at Private Trust Management Group The Power of Time Management Adriana Maljanian (‘21) is an Associate Trust Manager at Private Trust Management Group. She discussed the importance of time management and attention to detail in her role, as well as her favorite classes at Hillsdale. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 01, 2024•13 min
Ben Murrey ('12) Director of Policy at the Common Sense Institute Making an Impact in the World of Politics Ben Murrey (‘12) is the Director of Policy at the Common Sense Institute, a role he recently started. At Hillsdale, Murrey majored in Politics and promised never to work in politics, but after graduation took a job working on Ted Cruz’s Senate campaign. He shares his experience starting as a campaign volunteer and continuing in his career working at multiple levels and realms of state and ...
Apr 17, 2024•20 min
Adam Stockford ('15) Mayor of Hillsdale, Michigan Applying Lessons from the Politics Classroom in Public Office Adam Stockford (‘15) is the current Mayor of Hillsdale. Stockford majored in Politics and reflects fondly on his relationship with the Hillsdale College Politics department. Mayor Stockford shares his understanding of the duty to serve your community, the most important realms of local politics, his responsibilities as Mayor of Hillsdale, and his current campaign for State Representati...
Apr 03, 2024•17 min
Trent Kramer ('13) Headmaster at Ascent Classical Academies The Havoc-Filled Life of a Headmaster Trent Kramer (‘13) is the Headmaster at Ascent Classical Academy. He discusses the diversity of work as a Headmaster, which includes strategic planning, teaching, relationship building, and sometimes cleaning up bloody noses! Mr. Kramer shares the beauty of preparing kids for life rather than just college and vocation, building strong character rather than perfecting standardized exams, and teaching...
Dec 06, 2023•18 min
Brittany Baldwin ('12) Founder and Owner, Illuminate Consulting, LLC How to Become a Presidential Speechwriter Brittany Baldwin (‘12) is the former speech writer to President Donald Trump and Senator Ted Cruz. Ms. Baldwin speaks to her experience making a career out of writing, working her way from the front desk of Senator Cruz’s office to a role as the sole speech writer on his campaign, and her role in the White House. She advises students to proactively search for jobs, prioritize faith, and...
Nov 22, 2023•17 min
Lauren Carl ('14) Vice President of Digital Operations & Integration at Pinkston Adapting in the Ever-Changing World of Public Relations Lauren Carl (‘14) is Vice President at Pinkston, a strategic communications firm. Her role at Pinkston focuses on operations and working with clients on the design and creation of PR materials such as digital marketing and web design. After graduating with an economics major, Lauren began her career as an economic research assistant, transitioning over time...
Nov 08, 2023•15 min
Frank Maisano (‘89) Government Relations Senior Principal At Bracewell Law Firm How To Make an Impact In Government Relations Frank Maisano (‘89) began his career on the Hill and has spent the past 20 years as a non-attorney working in the Government Relations section of Bracewell Law Firm. The Government Relations section is a specialized practice that takes on clients facing regulatory and legislative challenges, which often play out in the press. Mr. Maisano shares his experience working in a...
Oct 25, 2023•20 min
Stephen Ford (‘10) Owner of West Exec Writing Writing Speeches for the Vice President Would you rather serve pizza or write speeches for Mike Pence? Mr. Stephen Ford (‘10) joins Beyond the Bubble to share his experiences navigating life post-grad in Washington D.C. with a Politics degree, where he built a full-time writing career and served as Head Speech Writer to former Vice President Mike Pence during the Trump administration. He shares stories about finding humor in ordinary life in the Whit...
Oct 11, 2023•18 min
Carley Ross (‘14) National Account Manager at Ferrero A Career in the CPG Industry On this week’s episode of Beyond the Bubble, Carley Ross (‘14) shares about her experiences working in the CPG industry. As a national account manager at Ferrero, she manages value customer accounts like Aldi and Big Lots. Her responsibilities include planning, executing, and managing the customer plan. On a daily basis she manages supply forecasts, uses data and insights to validate new item performance, and buil...
May 24, 2023•15 min
David Stanton (‘98) Headmaster at Oakdale Classical School From the U.S. Navy to Education David Stanton (‘98) shares his experience as the Headmaster at Oakdale Academy and from a career of teaching History and Religion. His career in education is intertwined with a career in the U.S. Navy Reserve, where Stanton developed leadership skills and experience. Stanton imparts advice for students interested in teaching or administration and encourages students to embrace the liberal arts in order to ...
May 10, 2023•16 min
Kevin Roberts (‘05) Director of Industry Insights and Analytics at CarGurus Insights into a Career in Business Intelligence As the Director of Industry Insights and Analytics at CarGurus, Kevin Roberts (‘05) analyzes economic and macro trends in the automotive industry to create impactful insights for his company. He shares the importance of developing critical thinking skills and learning how to share dense information in an understandable way. He explains the core skills students pursuing a si...
Apr 26, 2023•15 min
Candace Corrales (‘16) Lead Program Manager, Apex Legends Esports at Electronic Arts (EA) In this episode of Beyond the Bubble, Candace Corrales (‘16) shares how her passion for video games scored her a career in the gaming industry. She talks about her early experiences in the industry and explains how she utilized diligent networking to land a job at Electronic Arts working on a program management team at Apex Legends Esports. Listen now to hear her advice! See omnystudio.com/listener for priv...
Apr 12, 2023•17 min
Caleb Bowers (‘15) Mission Software Engineer at Andruil Industries Applying Math to Defense Technology As a software engineer at Andruil Industries, Caleb Bowers (‘15) works on coding backend software and creating customized solutions for clients. Join Beyond the Bubble this week as he describes how he went from a computational and applied mathematics degree at Hillsdale to working in defense technology. He explains the importance of research, Hillsdale’s core curriculum, and his transition from...
Feb 15, 2023•14 min
Garrett West (‘15) Associate Attorney at Paul Weiss Law Firm The Philosophy of a Career in Law On this week’s episode of Beyond the Bubble, Garrett West (‘15) shares about his experiences working for Paul Weiss within their appellate group. On a daily basis, he works on drafting briefs, conducting research, and helping prepare for argument. He talks about his transition from Hillsdale to law school and how Hillsdale’s rigor helped prepare him for work as a lawyer. See omnystudio.com/listener for...
Jan 31, 2023•13 min
As a Classical Education Instructional Coach, Trinity Wright’s (‘17) primary job is to observe teachers and help them improve their ability to teach classical curriculums. She also uses her knowledge of classical education to upgrade curriculum and teach additional classes. Listen now to hear Trinity explain the importance of gaining exposure to teaching as an undergraduate and the value of minoring in Classical Education if pursuing a career in teaching. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy ...
Dec 02, 2022•15 min•Ep. 59
As an Account Coordinator at Altus Marketing, Gracyn Hawkins (‘22) serves an integral role in managing events, fundraising, and communications for nonprofits helping youths facing homelessness. Listen now to hear how Gracyn combined her prior experience as a Court Appointed Special Advocate with her skills in marketing to continue driving positive, impactful change on a daily basis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 11, 2022•16 min•Ep. 58
On this week’s episode of Beyond the Bubble, Hank Prim (‘17) shares how he blended his interest in teaching with his passion for law enforcement as a Supervisory Special Agent & Training Administrator. In his daily work, he functions like a teacher as well as a police officer through his responsibility for the education and training of South Dakota law enforcement officers. Hank also talks through the process of becoming further involved in law enforcement and the requirements for becoming a...
Nov 04, 2022•15 min•Ep. 57
As a Certified Financial Planner, Jimmie Plaskey (‘12) loves the variety that he gets in his daily work. Join Beyond the Bubble this week as Jimmie talks about the ways to break into financial planning, the importance of soft skills like personability, and the excitement of helping other people achieve their financial goals. He also shares tips on how to stand out as an applicant in finance. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 07, 2022•16 min•Ep. 56
Beyond the Bubble is back for the semester! On this week’s episode, join State Representative Andrew Fink (‘06) as he describes his journey from Hillsdale College to the Michigan Legislature. He walks through a day in the life of a legislator, shares how his experiences as a Judge Advocate for the Marine Corps helped shape his passion for politics, and offers insightful advice for students looking to pursue a legal or political career. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sep 30, 2022•18 min•Ep. 55
On this week’s episode of Beyond the Bubble, listen to Ryan Goff (‘21) share about the variety of work he does as an M&A Analyst at a middle market investment bank. He also explains the value he found from participating in extracurriculars like The Collegian, Investment Club, and the ACG Cup as well as how useful strong writing skills are in the workforce. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 01, 2022•17 min•Ep. 54
Ben Thompson (‘09) spends his day hunting down the best barrels of oil and negotiating the price as a Crude Oil Trader at Shell Trading. He explains how companies make money through trading and talks about the basics of the industry, entry options, and how he utilized his finance degree in a highly technical field. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 25, 2022•20 min•Ep. 53
As a Director at Spell Capital Mezzanine, Stephen Hann (‘08) works to manage investment portfolios, source and underwrite deals, and build relationships across a wide range of industries. He talks about the importance of developing soft skills in the communication and articulation of complex concepts as well as the necessity of practicing math, excel, and modeling skills for success in an exciting career where each day is a little different from the last. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy ...
Apr 22, 2022•19 min•Ep. 52
Scott Keenan (‘07) innovates on a daily basis as the head of growth strategy for a startup merging real estate with hospitality. Scott shares how his different interests and love for problem solving led him from a chemistry major at Hillsdale to environmental consulting and finally to driving growth for a company restructuring the traditional approach to hospitality. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 14, 2022•19 min•Ep. 51
