Central Hall bells ring. Lauren Bixler | Collegian

Instead of adjusting to life miles away from home, some Hillsdale students have learned to balance their home life and school life together, and according to the students themselves, they would not change a thing.

Junior Paul Whalen has taken classes taught by both his father and older brother, Professor of English David Whalen and Associate Professor of English Benedict Whalen, nicknamed “Papa Whalen” and “Baby Whalen.” Additionally, Paul’s older brother Greg is also a student at Hillsdale.

Whalen said his dad and brother do not treat him any differently from the other students in their classes, and he enjoys getting to see them in their work environment teaching the things they excel at.

“I just really enjoyed being in his class. It was always fun to see that sense of humor I know in a classroom setting,” Whalen said of his father. “Because obviously I see him at home, but seeing him at work is a whole different thing.”

Senior Makenna Banbury, daughter of Doug Banbury, vice president of admissions and business development, said she has only run into her dad on campus a handful of times as a student. She has loved being able to visit her family, and her dogs, whenever she likes.

“I love my parents, so it’s not hard to go home,” Banbury said. “I love seeing them. I love getting a home-cooked meal. I love when my mom offers to buy me groceries. We just have a great relationship.”

Alethia Diener, a freshman and the daughter of Assistant Professor of Education David Diener, also appreciates her proximity to home.

“One time, I was really stressed out and overwhelmed by a lot of things, and I went on a run,” Diener said. “Halfway through the run, I thought, ‘What the heck, I’m gonna run home!’ And so I just went home and ate dinner with my family. It was so precious and soul-nourishing.”

Far from taking these family support systems for granted, students all agreed that one of their favorite parts of living near home is getting to watch their families interact with other college students.

“I think it made it unique in the sense that I could share my family with others who don’t have family close,” Banbury said.

Focusing on balancing independence has been a really important aspect of life, according to Diener.

“I have been trying to live on campus, pretending that I don’t live in my hometown,” Diener said. “I want to intentionally not cling to my mom’s apron strings.”

While most students’ college experience is their first time living away from home, these students are all still anticipating the jump away from their hometown after graduation.

“It kind of scares me, because I don’t know where I’m going to be after college,” Banbury said. “I’m gonna definitely have to be a lot more intentional if I’m not home to make the call and make the FaceTime.”

Whalen said how much he has enjoyed the little fun things he does with his family around campus such as getting weekly meals with his dad and siblings while enjoying the inside joke of pretending they were his dad’s “phalanx” on the walk to the car.

“I’m looking forward to graduating,” Whalen said. “I’m pretty excited, but I have a lot of questions about what it really means to be a responsible human being out on your own. Which is so funny, because every other college student is just like, ‘Yeah, grow up, man. I did this three years ago.’”

Freshman Maria Burnett, daughter of Brandon Hadlock, director of operations for admissions, said while she loves attending school so close to home, she is looking forward to the shock of moving far away from home that she will experience next semester when she goes on her mission trip with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“I don’t feel necessarily more independent on my own, but I do feel like I can become my own person in a different way, because I’m in a different environment that I’ve never been in before,” Burnett said about life in Hillsdale.

Just because they grew up in the area does not mean it was an obvious choice for all professors’ children to go to Hillsdale. Growing up around Hillsdale, the education slowly captivated them to recognize how incredible the school really is, according to Burnett.

“I’m here for the college itself, not as a default,” Diener said. “I was looking for Hillsdale outside my hometown, but I realized that Hillsdale is the only Hillsdale.”

As applicants, they went through the application process just the same as the rest of the students, according to Banbury.

“I remember telling my dad when I finally decided to apply to Hillsdale, ‘I don’t want a handout. I want to actually earn this,’” Banbury said. “I did a student interview, I did the whole campus tour, I sat in on a class, and I went through everything.”

The students have an appreciation for the ways that their families have given them the space to blossom on their own while at school.

“I’m so glad that I’ve been able to branch out, and I appreciate that my family has allowed me to do that,” Diener said. “They want me to become an adult and to become self-sufficient.”

Banbury said she has no regrets about attending school so close to home. She wouldn’t change a thing.

“I don’t think I would be this person without Hillsdale and without the education, without the relationships I formed, and without the experience I had to go through,” Banbury said.

The students appreciate their families and are so grateful for the chance to grow into adulthood right near home according to Banbury.

“I don’t care how old I get or how much I think I know of the world,” Banbury said. “I’m always going to need them.”