Hillsdale senior impresses 2016 candidates

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Hillsdale senior impresses 2016 candidates

Senior Randy Keefe caught the attention of GOP presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ben Carson over the mid-semester break.

Over fall break, he traveled to Washington, D.C. to work for a conference with the Council for National Policy. Several 2016 presidential candidates — including business mogul Donald Trump, retired brain surgeon Ben Carson, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ken.), and former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Penn.) — spoke at the conference.

Keefe helped run a photo-op at the conference, and he impressed both Trump and the Carson campaign.

“There were about four hundred people who wanted to get pictures with the candidates, and we only had thirty minutes,” Keefe said.

Trump complimented Randy and the photographer for moving quickly through the line.

“Boy, this guy’s good,” Trump said, according to Keefe. “I ought to hire him.”

Trump’s job offer wasn’t serious, but Keefe still took it as a compliment.

He also caught the eye of Ben Carson’s campaign manager.

“He offered me a legitimate job because he was impressed with my efficiency,” Keefe said.

Keefe has kept in close contact with Carson’s Michigan team and said he likes the idea of working with a campaign.

“I’m not sure if anything will come from it, but I’m definitely keeping my options open,” Keefe said.

Last semester, while participating in the Washington Hillsdale Internship Program, Keefe interned with the CNP.

“He was always eager to help and lead where there was a need, anticipating what had to be done next,” Executive Director of CNP Bob McEwen said.

Professor of Law Bob Blackstock said he wasn’t surprised Keefe, a “quintessential Hillsdale student,” caught the eyes of the campaigns.

“The students here take responsibility for their character and for their growth,” Blackstock said. “They self-consciously try to grow, and I think that Randy is a full expression of this.”