Born and raised in Michigan, Brendan had a fascination with American history and politics from a young age. After completing 10 years of homeschool education, Brendan was accepted to Ave Maria University, graduating in 2016 with a B.A. in Politics with a minor in History. Following his graduation, Brendan interned at the Heritage Foundation, where he worked on several research projects in the area of political philosophy and witnessed the 2016 election firsthand. Two years later, he was admitted into Hillsdale College’s Van Andel Graduate School of Statesmanship, where he graduated with an M.A. in Politics in 2020. Both prior to and following graduation, Brendan worked in the Archives and Special Collections department of Mossey Library until August 2021, focusing on the Harry V. Jaffa collection. After a career break, Brendan applied to the new MACE program and was accepted into the Fall 2022 cohort.
Research interests: American politics, American history, political
Post-graduation plans: My current plan is to either proceed directly to teaching upper school civics or history, or bridge to an administrative position involving curriculum research and development.
What has been the thing you’ve appreciated most about your time here? Returning to the academically rigorous yet welcoming community that is Hillsdale. This environment was definitely one aspect I really missed after leaving the Statesmanship program and my Library position.
What has been your greatest academic challenge thus far? Returning to the academic reading, research, and writing mindsets, as I have not drawn on those skills for several years.
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