It’s true what they say: one conversation can change your life. That’s what happened when I walked onto Ashland’s campus for the first time in the spring of 2015 as a senior in high school, and met the late Dr. Peter Schramm. Going up to the eighth floor of the library to the Ashbrook Center, I had no idea what to expect. Other than hearsay, I knew nothing of the man, the scholar program or the university. Dr. Schramm had this larger-than-life quality about him that few others have. He took me to his office and asked me why I wanted to be an Ashbrook Scholar. Admittedly, I had no answer, but I nonetheless tried to say something intelligent. But he could see right through that. He smiled, stopped me and began what can only be described as the most beautiful monologue I’ve ever heard. He spoke to me about the good, the beautiful and the true. He told me how rewarding my experience at Ashland would be, should I choose to come and study here. If there were any thoughts that I wouldn’t want to go to Ashland before, that conversation quashed every single concern. Nearly four years have gone by, and, as I approach graduation, I still think of that conservation and the opportunities it opened for me here at Ashland. I’ve been able to travel and work in the State of Israel on three separate occasions with our amazing students and faculty; I’ve shaken hands and conversed with ambassadors, congressmen, and vice presidents alike; I’ve worked in the United States Senate and have seen our democratic process unfold up close and in person; I’ve found my faith in Christ restored and revitalized; I’ve found both friends and family in a ragtag fellowship of historians, political scientists, philosophers and economists. Ashland is where I found my divinely-appointed calling. These are the opportunities and blessings the Ashbrook Center and Ashland University have opened for me, ones that will follow me wherever I go, from Claremont to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
