Written by Nolan Ryan
When Sara Kemeny Walsh, M.A., ’24, entered the Diana Davis Spencer Graduate School of Classical Education, she had initially planned on being a teacher. Now, she finds herself applying the classical tradition in the realm of state government.
Walsh first heard about Hillsdale’s graduate program through the College’s partner K-12 charter schools in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She was working in media at the time but was interested in teaching. Becoming a teacher or a headmaster, she thought, would be a great way to serve her community—so she applied to the program.
Among her experiences as a grad student, Walsh points to the faculty as a key part of her time on campus. “I was so thankful for the diligent faculty who are wise,” she said. “They were wise in using their time. They were wise in their approach to teaching us. They gave us a good framework for continuing on after the grad program.”
Walsh also appreciated learning alongside her classmates, many of whom she notes “took a pause from their busy lives to study in a focused way.”
In terms of the coursework itself, Walsh especially appreciated the rootedness in history and tradition. “The first year includes a lot of figures who are foundational for life for students and for the liberal arts tradition,” she said. “Personally, it was a breath of fresh air after living in the media world. It was a great foundation to be able to explain where these ideas come from.”
Alongside intellectual formation in the Western tradition, Walsh notes that her time in the graduate program prepared her for her current role in state government. In particular, she found a course with Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn to be formative in thinking about the stances of Aristotle and the American Founders on education.
“Dr. Arnn made me realize that there is nothing new under the sun, and he gave me a good grounding in politics for education,” said Walsh. “The class was so valuable because education is political, and every politician should care about education.”
While Walsh has appreciated keeping up with politics, she is new to working with the state government. In her current role, she serves as an advisor on education policy to Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders. “I work closely with the Department of Education to implement the governor’s priorities,” Walsh said, “both with laws that she has championed and also with her administrative authority in the government.”
Walsh appreciates Gov. Sanders’ recognition that education is not a neutral thing; rather, it points to the good, true, and beautiful. Also, a “one-size-fits-all” approach to education is not the most fair toward families. “Whether a student has the opportunity to excel is a parent’s decision; it’s not a state’s decision,” Walsh said.
At its core, Walsh’s work forces her to grapple with educational issues that people in the state are facing. For example, she said, “What are we going to do with the school that is in distress but is important to a community? What are we going to do with our third-graders who cannot read at grade level?”
When it comes to solving issues like these, her job often entails lobbying on behalf of the governor before the legislature. She appreciates the social aspect of the job and the lessons she has gleaned from it.
“People say I love having ideological debates, and I love reading political commentary,” Walsh said. “But working with the state legislature, I have been challenged to get to know people’s positions in detail. It is causing me to be less black-and-white and a better listener.”
As she hears the concerns of people in the state, Walsh said she appreciates working on issues that are “practical and involve less flashy topics” than one might find in debates on social media. “The issues are a bit more mundane, but they are bound to earth in a very valuable way. These are things real people care about.”
Nolan Ryan, ’27, M.A., is a 2020 alum and a graduate student studying classical education. He taught English and history at a classical school in Texas for five years before moving back to Michigan. Usually, you can find him reading C.S. Lewis or Augustine at Rough Draft and sipping on a bourbon vanilla latte.
Published in May 2026
