Jonathan Meckel and his wife, Allison, both graduated from Hillsdale College. Courtesy | Natalie Meckel

Jonathan Meckel ’21 said Hillsdale’s challenging coursework and a strong sense of community prepared him for his career in the Michigan House of Representatives. 

Meckel began his new job as a legislative director for State Rep. Jennifer Wortz, a Republican who represents Hillsdale and Branch counties, after Wortz assumed office in January. 

Meckel previously worked as a high school teacher, then as a legislative aide for State Rep. Mike Harris, R-Waterford.

“Having worked the last few years for Harris gives him a good understanding of the legislative process here and has helped me hit the ground running in Lansing,” Wortz said. 

Meckel said he would like to see improved conditions for teachers in Michigan. One change he supports is rolling back Michigan’s Blaine Amendment, which prevents government funding to non-public schools, like private and parochial schools.

“I loved being in education, but the legal system is a huge roadblock,” Meckel said. “In Michigan, vouchers are against the law because of our Blaine Amendment — one of the most restrictive in the country. I’d love to see that change, or to find some other ways of freeing up the industry more. It’s such an intrinsically rewarding job.”

Meckel said he decided to attend Hillsdale because he wanted to receive a liberal arts education and did not want to avoid pursuing a highly specialized education. He graduated with a double-major in English and mathematics.

“I knew I didn’t want to go to a career factory,” Meckel said. “I wanted to develop spiritually, intellectually, and socially. Hillsdale was the place. My two older sisters both came here too, so I had a good idea of what I was getting myself into.”

Meckel said Professor of English, Justin Jackson, had a profound impact on his time at Hillsdale.

“I came into college thinking reading literature was all about looking for the author’s intention, and once you find that it’s game over,” Meckel said. “He really helped me realize how boring that was.”

Meckel said he took four more classes with Jackson after his first Great Books class.

“He’s become a great friend and mentor for me,” Meckel said. “He helped me read and write a lot better in college, and he’s given me a lot of great advice.”

According to Meckel, Jackson’s Existentialism and Literature class taught him to abandon his expectation and look at things from a different perspective.

“He told us on the first day of class that we’d have to take off our Aristotelian hats and look at things differently,” Meckel said. “Looking back, I don’t know if this was by design, but I think feeling unmoored actually worked pretty well, because we had that in common with most of the authors on the syllabus. Plus, we read both ‘The Brothers Karamazov’ and ‘The Little Prince.’ Doesn’t get much better than that.”

Jackson said he got along well with Meckel.

“If he had questions about my critique of a certain portion of his analysis, we could just break it down into a syllogism; I learned quite a few things from him here,” Jackson said. “We smoked cigars, had some bourbon, talked literature and theology, and shared a ton of laughs. I also loved his wife, Allison, 100 times more than I loved Jonathan.”

Meckel said his Real Analysis class with Professor of Mathematics David Murphy also left a lasting impact on him. 

“He showed us Russell’s paradox on the first or second day of class, and I was immediately hooked,” Meckel said. “I pulled a lot of all-nighters trying to finish the homework. Something clicked after seeing the proof for the Bolzano-Weierstrass Theorem. Working through that the first time really felt like magic. That’s probably one of the only theorems from college I could still prove for you at the chalkboard today.”

Meckel said the friendships he made through his dormitory at Hillsdale prepared him for the social networking aspect of his career. 

“I lived in Simpson for four years, and tried my best to be outgoing and get to know different people,” Meckel said. “I made a lot of random friends by osmosis, some of whom I had seemingly nothing in common with, and many of whom have stuck with me.”

Meckel said he found out about his current job through a close friend from Hillsdale, who was working for Wortz’s predecessor.

“I knew I wanted to work for my home district though, so when the opportunity arose with Representative Wortz coming in, I went for it,” Meckel said.

Meckel always had an interest in politics, but he believes one should not be too heavily infatuated with it.

“I’ve talked to people in government who treat the legislative process like it’s the center of everything, I’ve never bought into that,” Meckel said. “I also don’t buy into the idea that it’s just a snake pit to stay away from. That’s just a self-fulfilling prophecy. Politics is an important aspect of life. We need honorable, capable people to help fix it.

Meckel said he grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska, and received a homeschool education.

“It’s a wonderful area,” Meckel said. “Lots of corn, football, and tornadoes. I live in Hillsdale now with my wife and daughter.”

According to Wortz, Meckel’s background in agriculture gives him an edge as a legislative director. 

“I am appreciative of the fact that he lives in the 35th district and understands Hillsdale,” Wortz said. “Jonathan graduated from Hillsdale College, moved away for a few years, but then he and his wife chose to return to Hillsdale to put down roots and start a family here. He understands the challenges that face young families and realizes that many policies in Michigan have not been pro-family, pro-agriculture, or pro-small business.”

Wortz said Meckel has been a strong asset as legislative director.

“Jonathan is an excellent writer,” Wortz said. “He has been very helpful in helping me craft bills that will help pull back government bureaucracies and policies that will make it more affordable to live and work here in Michigan.”

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