Freshman Philip Hammersley received three awards for his volunteer work in Michigan legislature. Before attending Hillsdale College, Hammersley interned with former Senate Majority Floor Leader Alan Cropsey (R-DeWitt) and volunteered with Sen. John Moolenaar (R-Midland).
“Philip is a gentleman and a scholar,” said Moolenaar in a press release. “His hard work and dedication helped our constituents. We appreciate Philip’s willingness to serve.”
Most recently, Hammersley was awarded the 2011 Frank M. Fitzgerald Public Service Award, which recognizes students for excellence in academics and volunteerism.
Hammersley also earned the John Quincy Adams Award from the Student Statesmanship Institute and the Dana N. Weeder Memorial Scholarship from the Washington Crossing Foundation in Bristol, Penn.
“In addition to his talents as a student and intern, Philip is a very genuine and kind individual. Hillsdale is lucky to have him,” said Kendall Wingrove, former press Secretary with the Michigan Senate. Wingrove also coordinated the mentor program called Curriculum Beyond the Classroom that Hammersley worked with.
While interning and volunteering at the capitol, Hammersley worked in various capacities, from basic office tasks like filing to writing legislative tributes. His favorite job was researching legislation and its impact on Michigan voters.
“One of the best parts was being in Lansing, especially being in the same place as policymakers even though I was only 16 or 17 years old,” Hammersley said.
Hammersley’s interest in public policy and argumentation began as a freshman in high school when he was “forced” to participate in speech and debate through Christian Communicators of America.
Attending Student Statesmanship Institute, a Michigan leadership program for students interested in various aspects of government, further cemented his desire to pursue an internship.
“At the end of the week, we got to debate bills on the House floor,” Hammersley said.
Now, he uses the skills he learned as an intern and at SSI by participating in mock trial.
“Philip has an extraordinary ability to focus on details. He is very thorough in his research and presentation,” Wingrove said. “This is, of course, why he is so good at mock trial at Hillsdale.”
Currently, Hammersley has not declared a major. He is interested in working as a policy analyst, as a lawyer, or both.
“I am convinced that Philip will make an outstanding contribution to whatever field he goes into,” Wingrove said. Right now, it looks like that will be public policy and he will be an incredible asset.”