For Trent W. Champlin, finding his dream first job in government didn't take long. Champlin, a member of the class of 2017 from Gahanna, Ohio, is currently a legislative aide for State Sen. John Eklund of the 18th Senatorial District of Ohio. He works long hours with intentions of improving life in the State of Ohio.

Champlin says life at Wittenberg and in his new office are very similar.

“Most people know one another and go out of their way to assist their colleagues,” he said. “The office culture is great. There is a vast amount of resources available, and people are always willing to help out.”

The chief scheduler for the senator, Champlin works to assist constituents, organizations or lobbyists in meeting with Eklund to discuss various issues with him. He is responsible for creating and sending out the weekly agenda prior to the Senate Ways and Means Committee meetings and producing the committee minutes after adjournment. Champlin also works with constituents and legislative liaisons from various departments in efforts to resolve any complaints they may have.

Champlin credits his political science professors and mentors at Wittenberg, J. Robert Baker and Staci Rhine, with sparking his interest in politics. His previous work as a senate page also helped him land his current position.

“Working as a senate page really got my name out there, so when a position opened up in Sen. Eklund’s office, they called me right in for an interview,” he said.

During his time at Wittenberg, Champlin was a political science major and Spanish minor. He played baseball for two years and was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity.

-By Rahul Ramanathan ’20, Office of University Communications