Meet Eric Meulenberg 

1. How about a snapshot of your background: who is Eric Meulenberg?

It’s a quiet start with local roots. I grew up in West Michigan and I’m still here. During high school, my faith became relevant to me. When I started looking at colleges, I wondered what perspective a faith-based institution might bring to the classroom. I also I knew I did not want to be one of 400 kids in a lecture hall, so a smaller college was key.

In terms of Calvin, pondering studying through a faith lens, I imagined that Bible class would be fine. Even better, though, was the thought of other classes in a faith-setting. That turned out to be a powerful reality. I’d be listening to an econ lecture and faith would be woven into the topic in some way. Those conversations gave me further insight into my beliefs in practice. I loved discussions with a Christian worldview, professor-to-student, and student-to-student.

2. There are so many secondary education options today. Where do you see special value at Calvin?

I think it is fair to say that most established universities of all sizes provide quality academics. Calvin absolutely provided sound education. But the cool thing was accessibility. I had accessibility to every professor, all the way up to the president of Calvin. I would not be able to say that at other schools.

3. What was the most challenging aspect of the Calvin experience and how did you meet it?

As a freshman, I soon found out that I had to learn how I learned! I showed up to class, came back to the dorm and sat down, assuming that I’d do my homework. Not so. Stuff is going on and guys are playing video games, all of that.  It took a few bad grades and a few weeks before I thought wow, this Is not going to work. I had to quickly assess other options, and it wasn’t long before I found the library and those stations with blinders–problem solved.

4. Going back to the “access” that you enjoyed, was there any person or experience that illustrates that?

"There were many, but two proved life changing. I will always be grateful to then-professor Kelli (Lautenbach) Schutte. I was just a kid; not aware of every option college offers. This included career planning. I was more sequential in thinking of steps: you graduate high school, you graduate college, then you apply for jobs.

Professor Schutte encouraged me to investigate internships. Frankly, if she had not actively pursued that with me, I never would have done it because I wasn’t really aware. Her advice changed the trajectory of my career. 

The second thing that stands out goes back to my mention of accessibility all the way to the president. It happened as I was looking into the whole internship thing.

 I really wanted to go to New York. Maybe naively, I reached out to Calvin’s president. And he met with me. There is a different energy on campuses where the president engages with students. Calvin had that! It was so cool and I’m thankful for it.

President Byker not only talked to me, but he also made phone calls on my behalf, then and there. Keep in mind, I wasn’t an all-star, or a donor’s kid.  No, his mindset was open and willing: ‘here’s a student who is motivated. What can I do to help? His calls that led to two offers, one in NYC and one in Chicago. I can confidently say that at a D1 school, no everyday student can sit down with their college president and get introduced to big city firms. I ended up choosing Chicago for financial reasons, and the experience made me passionate about internships.”

With Huntington, I have had the pleasure of helping to create and expand the internship program. I will always be a strong advocate for helping students explore their career path during their education.

5. If you could change anything looking back, what would it have been?

I have one regret and it’s also the thing I’m thankful for. The regret is that I did not take advantage of every internship opportunity—I only completed one Chicago Smith-Barney internship. But here I am today, with a great career, my wife, two kids and a golden retriever named Frankincense.