Gallery • 6 Photos

All photographs credited to: BRAYDEN CREVELING

Mike Pence was greeted with a warm welcome by the Ashland community and AU students.

Securing America’s future will be won in the nation’s classroom, former Vice
President Mike Pence told the crowd at the annual fund-raising dinner for
Ashland University’s Ashbrook Center Friday Oct. 29.
“We need to make a movement that will teach the Constitution to our young
people,” Pence said. “Our agenda must require that patriotic education is
essential for classrooms around America.”
Sikkenga agreed with Pence’ that the younger generation of students should be
required to learn about American government
“Only one-fourth of high school students are knowledgeable about civic
education. That ultimately means three-fourths of highschoolers need to be more
educated about our government,” Sikkenga said.
“We are only one president like Abraham Lincoln or Ronald Raegan away from a
real culture change to our republic,” Sikkenga said.
To the delight of the crowd of more than 500, Pence used one of his most
famous lines to start his speech: “I’m a Christian, a conservative, and a
Republican in that order.”
“The foundation of America is freedom… and the foundation of freedom is faith,”
he said.
Pence served as vice president of the United States with President Donald
Trump from 2017-2021. Pence described serving as vice president as “the
greatest honor of my life.”
“To be vice president of the United States, that feeling is indescribable,” Pence
said.“President Trump is one of a kind….he has changed the 21st Century and
there is no looking back,” Pence said, adding that he privately thanked President
Trump for making his generation believe in America again.

In four short years, Pence said he and Trumphad the unemployment numbers at
an all time low, had the most pro-American trade deal, and built the strongest
military in the world and speeded he creation of the COVID-19 vaccine, all while
dealing with constant media criticism.

Despite Trump’s losing his re-election bid, Pence said he still has confidence in
conservatives and the Republican Party. “We are going to win it all back,” Pence
said.
Pence talked about the negative changes in “nine short months,” referring to the
time that current President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have
spent in office, wiping away all that Trump had done for America.
While Biden has been in office, Pence said there have been loss of control at the
U.S. border withMexico, rising inflation, pulling troops from Afghanistan while
putting other troops in risk of harm, and gas prices higher than they ever were
during Trump’s presidential term.
“The action in Afghanistan will never stand over or diminish what our military and
troops stand for,” Pence said. “We also have to stand for our women and men
who are the thin blue line of law enforcement.”
Pence reflected on how he started out in politics just being a small town boy from
southern Indiana. In middle school, he was a student government leader for the
Democrat Party but idolized Ronald Raegan and the “Reagan Revolution” which
caused him to become a Republican.
“There I was at s16 years old in the library pouring over books preparing for a
speech about the Constitution….and there I fell in love with politics,” Pence said.
Mike Pence said he dreamed of being in Congress and he said the best kept
secret is there are great women and men in Washington D.C. fighting for the
greater good of the country.

“The voice I would have and the idealism inspired me to be a part of making
America great again,” Pence said. “America, a place where anybody can become
anybody and you can live the dream.”
Pence left the Ashbrook Scholars with one last piece of advice.”If you are
inspired to lead and want to change this great nation….learn the foundation and
why America is great.”