State Rep. Andrew Fink ‘06 discussed duty to God, family, and country in a lecture and lunch for students, drawing from his personal experiences as a father, veteran, and politician. The Oct. 15 event attracted more than 20 attendees.
Fink said he was grateful for the college and wants to give back in any way he can.
“I just cycled off the alumni board, I was on that for eight years. Hillsdale has just been too important of a place for me to not put time back into it,” Fink said. “It’s certainly true that the cost of tuition and whatever money you make in your career afterwards just doesn’t get at what the impact of the college is, at least in my life. There’ll never be a time where I don’t want to come back and give the college whatever it is I can offer.”
Fink said after graduating Hillsdale College he attended law school at the University of Michigan, and then went to Officer Candidate School to join the Marines. Upon retiring from active duty, Fink said he passed up opportunities to work at larger law firms to work at his dad and uncle’s firm in Ann Arbor so that he could focus on spending time with family. He and his wife then decided to settle down and raise their children in Hillsdale because of its family-friendly community.
“None of those decisions helped me achieve more financial success, none helped me gain more fame or notoriety,” Fink said. “Neither of those are strictly bad goals, but all of the career decisions I’ve made have been informed by a sense of duty.”
He contrasted “eternal duties” with a world of mobility and fast-paced careers.
“Regardless of how your career comes together, your duties to God, your family, your country, and your community are going to be there the whole time,” he said.
Assistant Director for Student & Young Alumni Programs Fiona Shea, who coordinated the event, said Fink’s talk was part of a series of lectures to help students navigate various career paths.
“The Food For Thought Lesson Series is a great way to give students the opportunity to learn from and connect with successful leaders from a variety of fields,” Shea said. “The speakers who participate in the series, like Fink, are able to offer students an inside look at a particular industry or field, and provide information that isn’t typically taught in classrooms or textbooks.”
Fink advised the audience to not take being a student for granted.
“Don’t get too used to Hillsdale, it’s not like everywhere else in the world,” Fink said. “It wouldn’t surprise me if some of you feel like coming back, too.”
