Beyond the Bubble: Navigating Professional Life After College
Episodes
Applying Lessons from the Liberal Arts to Life-Long Learning
15 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Karissa Moschel (’20) talks about her time at Hillsdale as a French and History double major, and her current role as a science, English, and ma...
From Summer Research as a College Freshman to Working in the Emergency Room
28 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Elizabeth Stovicek ('13) joins Beyond the Bubble to share her experience at Hillsdale as a Biology Major, Spanish Minor and her campus involvement, in...
The Importance of Being Well-rounded Job Candidate: Knowing How to Answer Unexpected Interview Questions
09 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Christian Tracy ('99) shares his experience as a student-athlete and as a finance major at Hillsdale College, and how it led to his current job. He di...
Finding Fulfillment: Rewarding Moments Found Through Education and Serving Others
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Clausen ('17) joins Beyond the Bubble to share pivotal moments spent volunteering with the GOAL program during his time at Hillsdale and teaching ...
The Value of Internships: Gaining Experience and How One Leads to the Next
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Elizabeth Mitchell ('24), a White House Correspondent at The Daily Signal, shares her experience at Hillsdale majoring in Politics and minoring in Jou...
Running Toward a Moving Target: Self-Educating in a Rapidly Changing World
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Mark Vandegrift (‘92) discusses the importance of running toward your passion while remaining versatile, a skill he learned through his time at ...
Balancing Priorities: A Humanities Major's Journey into Medicine
07 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Caroline Koperski (‘15) shares how she prepared herself for PA school while studying Economics and Spanish, balancing her love for the humanitie...
Redemptive Entrepreneurship: Restoring Culture Through Business
11 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel Higbie (‘98) discusses how business owners and entrepreneurs can work to impact and grow the cultures they live in, focusing on good work...
Christians in Social Work: The Need for Faith-Based Counseling
26 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Christa Green (’20) discusses how her passion for psychological counseling and her faith led her to pursue a career in Christian counseling. At ...
An Unconventional Path: A DOJ Attorney’s Insight Into a Career in Law with 1995 Alumni Nate Stewart
05 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Nate Stewart ('95) shares his journey to Hillsdale, the value of waiting before law school, and the importance of prioritizing family and creative pas...
A Career In Art: Caroline Greb on Consistency and Action
20 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Listen to Episode 60 of Beyond the Bubble, where Caroline Greb shares her inspiring journey. Discover how she’s carved out a successful career i...
Making Philanthropy Possible
15 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Susan PetersonPrinciple Gifts Officer at Mayo Clinic Making Philanthropy PossibleSusan Peterson is the Principle Gifts Officer at Mayo Clinic. She mee...
The Power of Time Management
01 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Adriana Maljanian ('21)Associate Trust Manager at Private Trust Management Group The Power of Time ManagementAdriana Maljanian (‘21) is an Associate...
Making an Impact in the World of Politics
17 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Applying Lessons From the Politics Classroom in Public Office
03 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Adam Stockford ('15)Mayor of Hillsdale, Michigan Applying Lessons from the Politics Classroom in Public OfficeAdam Stockford (‘15) is the current M...
The Havoc-Filled Life of a Headmaster
06 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Trent Kramer ('13)Headmaster at Ascent Classical Academies The Havoc-Filled Life of a HeadmasterTrent Kramer (‘13) is the Headmaster at Ascent Cla...
How to Become a Presidential Speechwriter
22 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Brittany Baldwin ('12)Founder and Owner, Illuminate Consulting, LLC How to Become a Presidential SpeechwriterBrittany Baldwin (‘12) is the former sp...
Adapting in the Ever-Changing World of Public Relations
08 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Lauren Carl ('14)Vice President of Digital Operations & Integration at Pinkston Adapting in the Ever-Changing World of Public RelationsLauren Car...
How To Make an Impact In Government Relations
25 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Frank Maisano (‘89)Government Relations Senior Principal At Bracewell Law Firm How To Make an Impact In Government RelationsFrank Maisano (‘89) b...
Writing Speeches for the Vice President
11 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Stephen Ford (‘10)Owner of West Exec Writing Writing Speeches for the Vice PresidentWould you rather serve pizza or write speeches for Mike Pence? M...
A Career in the CPG Industry
24 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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) ...
From the U.S. Navy to Education
10 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
David Stanton (‘98) Headmaster at Oakdale Classical School From the U.S. Navy to EducationDavid Stanton (‘98) shares his experience as the Headm...
Insights into a Career in Business Intelligence
26 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kevin Roberts (‘05) Director of Industry Insights and Analytics at CarGurus Insights into a Career in Business IntelligenceAs the Director of Indust...
A Career in Gaming
12 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Candace Corrales (‘16)Lead Program Manager, Apex Legends Esports at Electronic Arts (EA) In this episode of Beyond the Bubble, Candace Corrales (‘...
Applying Math to Defense Technology
15 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Caleb Bowers (‘15)Mission Software Engineer at Andruil Industries Applying Math to Defense Technology As a software engineer at Andruil Industries, ...
The Philosophy of a Career in Law
31 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Coaching Teachers through a Classical Education
02 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As a Classical Education Instructional Coach, Trinity Wright’s (‘17) primary job is to observe teachers and help them improve their ability to tea...
Driving Positive Change through Nonprofit Marketing
11 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As an Account Coordinator at Altus Marketing, Gracyn Hawkins (‘22) serves an integral role in managing events, fundraising, and communications for n...
Combining Criminal Investigation and Education as a Career
04 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 a...
Soft Skills in Financial Planning
07 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Pursuing a Career in Law and Politics
30 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 H...
From Investment Club to Investment Banking
01 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 marke...
The Fundamentals of Working as a Crude Oil Trader
25 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Investing in the Skills for a Career in Finance
22 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As a Director at Spell Capital Mezzanine, Stephen Hann (‘08) works to manage investment portfolios, source and underwrite deals, and build relations...
From Learning Chemistry to Changing an Industry: A Career in Solving Problems
14 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 hi...
Running into a Career at New Balance
08 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ally Eads (‘19) took her passion for running and turned it into a career at New Balance. Ally describes how she utilizes the communication skills sh...
Pursuing Truth and Defending Liberty as an Attorney
04 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As a legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, Christy Hirsch (‘16) serves on the Church & Ministry Alliance team advising clients on religious ...
Criminal Investigation, Export Controls, and a Career at the Department of Commerce
11 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As a Criminal Investigator for the U.S. Department of Commerce, Caitlin Watson (‘07) uses the skills she learned at Hillsdale College on a daily bas...
A Day in the Life of an Art Director
25 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Lauren Peacock (‘14) shares her experiences working as an Art Director for AHC Hospitality. She explains the importance of finding objective opinion...
From Drafting Papers to Drafting Players: A Career in the NFL
11 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Through her job working with the Hillsdale Football team, Lix Laux (‘19) turned her enthusiasm for football into a career. She shares about the impo...
Breaking into Reporting
04 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Scott McCallen (‘18) shares how his experiences at the Collegian helped him move from financial analysis at Pepsi to reporting breaking news on Mich...
Director of Student Activities to Directing Television Marketing
03 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Alexandra Whitford (‘17) explains how her passion for media marketing and nonprofits led her from directing Hillsdale student activities to managing...
From Point A to Point Z: The Logistics of Flexibility in Careers
19 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Bob Boyle (‘03) talks about his unique professional experiences that led him across the country, and across careers. Listen as he shares how he went...
From User to Marketer: Selling Products with a Personal Connection
12 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Greg Rybka ('17) shares about how he has gone from studying marketing at Hillsdale to working in sales with prosthetics and how his personal experienc...
Non-Linear Career Trajectory & Project Management
05 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
PeggyDee Fleck shares her experiences figuring out the right profession. The 2012 biology graduate works in the administrative side of medicine; howev...
The Path to Being a Pastor
29 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Lucas Miller ('01) shares about his path to determining whether ministry was his calling and his subsequent work through seminary and as a pastor.See ...
The Journalism WORLD
15 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Leah Savas talks about working as a reporter for WORLD News Group. She began her post-graduation career in marketing and then shifted to jo...
Football Player to Chiropractor
08 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Interested in what life is like as a chiropractor and how to get there? Dr. Brian Vear '15 shares about how his experiences as a football player led h...
Up the Hill to Capitol Hill: Working in DC
01 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When moving to DC, many young people dream of working with an elected official to assist them in serving constituents. Katelyn Pay ('11) was no differ...
Lifelong Learning, Logistics, and Data
24 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Work isn’t always a clear trajectory. Joshua Cameon (‘17) found this out as he has worked in positions neither he, nor his company, envisioned him...
Applying Physics in Military Research
10 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Physics is much more than measuring the acceleration of a dropped ball. Jamin Rager (‘13) works as a Senior Research Physicist working on quantum co...
From Son of an Accountant to CPA
23 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matthew Kidd (‘13) shares his story and advice on becoming an accountant and taking the CPA exam. Hear how communication skills may be even more imp...
Diving Deep Into Language: PhD Studies and Commentary Writing
16 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Hillsdale requires all Bachelor of Arts students to reach at least the intermediate-level proficiency in a foreign language. Josh Shaw (‘17) has gon...
Using Language From Every Angle: Studying, Teaching, and Writing with Language
09 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Katherine Helmick (‘15) shares about her studies at the University of Oxford in literature. Hear how her experiences teaching abroad in South Africa...
Adventures in Marketing
19 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Adrianna Yancho ('13) - Program Lead for the Partner Summit at CiscoSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Manufacturing a STEM Career
12 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Kate Wiley (‘09) shares her experiences working in chemical manufacturing from engineering to quality control. As a physics major now working in che...
The Business of Relationships: From Sales and Networking
05 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Pete Smith is an 08 grad of Hillsdale College. In this episode, he shares his career path from Whirlpool to TTI Floor Care, Maryland to Texas to Georg...
From History Major to Silicon Valley
26 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
William Clayton (‘10) was a history major at Hillsdale but wanted to go into business and the tech world. He shares how he did it, and what it looks...
Finding a Ministry Calling in DC
19 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Robert Hasler is a 2015 grad of Hillsdale. He worked in the Kirby Center for a while and now has turned to ministry. He is working on his MDiv at Cove...
Accounting for Your Future
12 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It’s great to study what you love. For Amira Swenson (‘11), that was accounting. Listen to her share her journey from Hillsdale to Dallas and DC a...
Rhetoric in Action: Using Principles of Communication in Politics
05 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Early internship experience just might be the key to your future job. Listen this week to Taylor Gage (‘10) recounts his story about going from an i...
Gap Year: Lessons Learned
02 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Most people are familiar with the trend of graduates taking off a year after college - a gap year. Our guest this week, Brian Painter, waited a little...
Planning for the Worst Case Scenario
24 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Forecasting the future is a difficult task. Our guest this week is Russell TerBeek, a nuclear physicist at Sandia Labs. Russell makes his living forec...
Turning Theory into Practice: Surviving Grad School and Applying Economics
16 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
There’s a difference between theoretical knowledge and practical application. This week, Portia Conant (‘14) shares her story of the importance of...
How to Find Your Community as a Teacher
09 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A fresh start in a new city is an intimidating and yet also thrilling feeling for many young post-grads. Joel VanDerworp, this week's guest, explains ...
Beyond Medicine: Why We Need Empathetic Doctors
02 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Good medical treatment balances accepted methodology with a subtle kind of emotional intelligence. Our guest this week, Dr. Noah Bernhardson, discusse...
Flipping the Script: Administrators in the Classroom
28 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The title "Dean of Students" tends to carry with it a stereotype of a removed and often aloof disciplinary authority. Not Josh Herring. This week's gu...
The Humanities Trifecta
20 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A common misconception about graduate school is that you must have majored in the discipline the school focuses on. Our guest this week, Caroline Kope...
Why We Need More Creative Tax Lawyers
12 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Most people would not associate "creative" with "tax lawyer," or taxes at all for the most part. Our guest this week, Alexander Graf, has a different ...
Challenges, Choices, and Confidene
05 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A proper college education should teach us not to back down from a challenge. This week's guest, Jake Adkins, shows just how far that attitude can tak...
Planning for the Unplanned: Careers for the Passionate
28 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Eisenhower once remarked "plans are worthless, but planning is everything." Our guest this week, Eveline Gnabisik Bethune, has lived her life accordin...
Why Data Literacy is an Indispensable Modern Skill
21 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
To most people the world of data management and analytics can seem forbidding, confusing, and even intimidating. Not to George Mount, though. George f...
"Engineering" Your Career with A Liberal Arts Degree
05 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Conventional wisdom about careers says "do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life." Katherine Brunk, an analyst at the civil engineeri...
Is Grad School Right for You?
20 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Deciding whether or not to attend graduate school is a complicated process. Michael Giles, a Political Science Ph.D. candidate at Michigan State, reve...
How to Leverage Storytelling in Your Job
13 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Storytelling is a powerful tool that anyone can use to inspire, persuade, and mobilize. Maggy Smith is a senior associate at the Heritage Foundation, ...
Are You Married to Your Major?
06 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Navigating the professional world while staying true to your passions is a real challenge. John Duffy, a financial technologies analyst at Grant Stree...
Success in Sales? Read After-Hours
12 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Alex Mexicotte '16 | Start-Ups by Beyond the BubbleSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Elliot Gaiser | Pre-Law
04 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Elliot Gaiser | Pre-Law by Beyond the BubbleSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Josh Klooz '08 | Military Service & The Liberal Arts
26 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Josh Klooz '08 | Military Service & The Liberal Arts by Beyond the BubbleSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Micah Meadowcroft '16 | Jump into Journalism
10 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
So you're interested in journalism.. How do you jumpstart your career? If you're in Journalism already, what are your options for upward mobility? Joi...
Raz Schafer '09 | Careers in Politics
29 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
So you want to go into politics. Where should you start? What should you consider? Our guest this week, Raz Schafer, answers these questions and more....
John Farrar '98 | The Liberal Arts in Big Tech
22 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How far can a liberal arts degree take you? This week we ask John Farrar, Head of Industry at Google, to share his career path and discuss the value t...
Anna Schroeder '00 | Working for a Startup
07 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Company size tends to influence company culture. Smaller companies like startups tend to favor an entrepreneurial culture while larger ones tend to mo...
How to Make Strategic Science Career Decisions
27 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How should you communicate your hard and soft skills? What's more important, your interview or your resume? Is it OK to ask for constructive feedback ...
Tom Thistleton | Lifelong Learning
20 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Tom Thistleton has accomplished much in his career as a consultant. After being made partner at Deloitte, he went on to work for several middle-market...