Hitting a Home Run: Reagan Reese Gensiejewski, ’22, Thrives as White House Correspondent
Written by Monica VanDerWeide, ’95
On a Wednesday afternoon, reporters and journalists are gathered on the White House south lawn as President Joe Biden prepares to depart on Marine One. Reagan Reese Gensiejewski stands only three feet away from the President and asks him a question. It’s all a part of her job as a White House correspondent for The Daily Caller, yet sometimes it’s still unbelievable to her.
“It seems almost surreal that I’m 23 years old and standing on the south lawn, or at a press conference in the White House briefing room,” she said. “It’s such a blessing to have this job.”
Reagan knew at age 16 that she wanted to be a journalist, and she knew she wanted to play softball in college as well. Her travel softball coach suggested she look into Hillsdale. Then-Head Softball Coach Joe Abraham invited her to visit campus and meet the softball team, but he warned her that there was a 99 percent chance she would not make the team.
“Visiting Hillsdale got me excited about going to college,” Reagan recalled. “I loved the school, I loved the team, and I realized that Hillsdale is what college is meant to be.” And despite that initial grim forecast regarding her odds of making the team, Reagan did indeed receive an offer to play softball at Hillsdale. She proved to be a pivotal leader on a team that broke a 32-year drought and won two conference championships, driving in the game-winning hit to close out her college career.
“I can’t speak highly enough about Hillsdale’s softball program,” she said. “It was a blessing from God to play alongside talented, faith-centered teammates who are still my best friends today and a phenomenal coaching staff. As captain for two years, I had the opportunity to help shape and mold the team for the future. I was honored to represent the school and help it pursue its mission.”
As she considered what major to pair with her journalism minor, Reagan sought the advice of Journalism Director John Miller. “A lot of journalism minors choose to major in rhetoric and public address [now called rhetoric and media],” Reagan said. “I’ve always enjoyed public speaking, so it seemed like a good fit. Studying great speeches in American history really stoked my passion of writing and communicating what you believe to others.”
Reagan took advantage of every journalistic opportunity at Hillsdale to hone her writing and communication skills—writing and designing for The Collegian, co-hosting a sports talk show on WRFH Radio Free Hillsdale for which she won some awards, and contributing to the film documentary Defending Liberty about Hillsdale students who served in the Civil War. She also completed three internships—at a news station in California, at the National Journalism Center, and at The Federalist.
“At the news station, I learned the ins and outs of broadcasting—writing scripts and news stories, doing on-air packages and voiceovers. At the National Journalism Center, I connected with other journalists and really got to understand political journalism and the ethics of journalism. And writing for The Federalist challenged me as I published my thoughts and beliefs.”
As a busy student-athlete, Reagan appreciated the supportiveness of all of her “teams”—the softball team, the Rhetoric and Media Department, and the journalism program. “My classmates attended my games, and my softball teammates read my Collegian articles and listened to my radio show,” she said. “My professors worked with me outside of class to help me make up work I missed while traveling for softball. The people at Hillsdale were so instrumental to my success.”
Following graduation, Reagan began a fellowship with the Daily Caller News Foundation, a newswire service for The Daily Caller. She covered K-12 education for about a year until the opportunity arose to become the White House correspondent for The Daily Caller.
“I’m having the time of my life,” she said. “My schedule revolves around what the president is doing, but I’m also doing some enterprise reporting. People in power in both parties need to be held accountable, and it’s my goal to tell those stories.”
As a recent graduate living and working in the heart of American government, Reagan feels prepared in every way thanks to Hillsdale. “Through my rhetoric and media major, I learned how to take facts to form a persuasive argument, how to pay attention to details and aesthetics and how to incorporate those into your argument, and how to carry myself,” she said. “But more so, Hillsdale helped develop my character and strengthen my faith. People won’t always agree with you, so it’s important to understand what you believe and why you believe it, and to be able to hold your ground.”
Monica VanDerWeide is Director of Marketing Content for Hillsdale College. She graduated from Hillsdale in 1995 with a degree in English and German.
Published in April 2024