Hillsdale College Career Services

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 information.

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.

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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Portland as a Christian counselor, working towards her license.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

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.

Susan PetersonPrinciple Gifts Officer at Mayo Clinic Making Philanthropy PossibleSusan 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 information.

Adriana Maljanian ('21)Associate Trust Manager at Private Trust Management Group The Power of Time ManagementAdriana 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.

Ben Murrey ('12)Director of Policy at the Common Sense Institute Making an Impact in the World of PoliticsBen 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 national politics. His previous roles included a Legislative Correspondent and Aid for Senator Cruz and Fiscal Policy Center Director for the Independence Institute.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Adam Stockford ('15)Mayor of Hillsdale, Michigan Applying Lessons from the Politics Classroom in Public OfficeAdam 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 Representative.      See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trent Kramer ('13)Headmaster at Ascent Classical Academies  How to Become a Presidential SpeechwriterTrent 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 kids to pursue goodness and virtue for the sake of itself.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brittany Baldwin ('12)Founder and Owner, Illuminate Consulting, LLC How to Become a Presidential SpeechwriterBrittany 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 Whitehouse. She advises students to proactively search for jobs, prioritize faith, and maintain friendships during busy seasons of life. Currently, Ms. Baldwin is the President of Illuminate Consulting, which she founded after her role at the White House concluded.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lauren Carl ('14)Vice President of Digital Operations & Integration at Pinkston Adapting in the Ever-Changing World of Public RelationsLauren 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 to her current VP role at Pinkston. Lauren shares her experience adapting to a constantly changing industry, being a proactive employee, and gives excellent advice to anyone interested in a career in communications.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Frank Maisano (‘89)Government Relations Senior Principal At Bracewell Law Firm How To Make an Impact In Government RelationsFrank 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 fast-paced work environment, building credibility within an industry, and advocates that students interested in politics go on WHIP!    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stephen Ford (‘10)Owner of West Exec Writing Writing Speeches for the Vice PresidentWould 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 White House, as well as from the extraordinary experiences he had traveling internationally with former Vice President Pence. Mr. Ford discusses prioritizing family and friendships to stay sane, his caffeine addiction, and the writing business he has built since leaving the White House.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Carley Ross (‘14)National Account Manager at Ferrero A Career in the CPG IndustryOn 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 builds relationships. Listen now to hear her advice about working in the industry!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Stanton (‘98) Headmaster at Oakdale Classical School  From the U.S. Navy to EducationDavid Stanton (‘98) shares his experience as the Headmaster at Oakdale Classical School 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 develop a passion for those things that are true, good, and beautiful.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 similar career should develop, and he emphasizes the value of learning a coding language like R in addition to building proficiency in data visualization software like Power BI. Listen now to learn more! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 privacy information.

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 an undergraduate degree to a master’s program. He also talks about his previous experiences working with the Navy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.