ACA senior Drew Heiskell was awarded the opportunity to attend Hillsdale’s Roots and History of American Liberty summer experience this past July. Drew was selected based on his work on two essays, one of which he had to write about the most overlooked moment in American history which he argued was the Barbadian colonization. 

The program began at Hillsdale College, followed by a visit to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania where students visited the national battlefield, museum, and cemetery where the Battle of Gettysburg took place. The next stop on the tour was a brief stop in Philadelphia for philly cheesesteaks and a visit to Benjamin Franklin’s grave, Independence Hall, and the Liberty Bell. The final stop on the tour was exploring Washington D.C. and its surrounding areas. Though the tour covered all of the major historical sites in D.C. including a White House and Capitol tour, Drew noted his most impactful experience of the trip was actually in Baltimore, Maryland. 

“One morning, we visited Fort McHenry in Baltimore, where Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner,” Drew said. “I had the privilege of lowering and folding an American Flag with some other participants in the program.” (pictured above)

Mr. Schepps noted that this experience for Drew is well deserved for his unwavering commitment to learning and growing.

“Drew, as much as any student I have taught, feels the personal and moral weight of his education,” Mr. Schepps said. “He believes every class discussion stands to change him as a human being and he views that as an opportunity not to miss. This makes him the perfect candidate to have received the chance to go on a trip like this and to benefit from it maximally.”