Making A Difference

Trent Champlin ’17 Works to Improve the State of Ohio

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

Recitation Hall
University Communications Staff
Staff Report

About Wittenberg

Wittenberg's curriculum has centered on the liberal arts as an education that develops the individual's capacity to think, read, and communicate with precision, understanding, and imagination. We are dedicated to active, engaged learning in the core disciplines of the arts and sciences and in pre-professional education grounded in the liberal arts. Known for the quality of our faculty and their teaching, Wittenberg has more Ohio Professors of the Year than any four-year institution in the state. The university has also been recognized nationally for excellence in community service, sustainability, and intercollegiate athletics. Located among the beautiful rolling hills and hollows of Springfield, Ohio, Wittenberg offers more than 100 majors, minors and special programs, enviable student-faculty research opportunities, a unique student success center, service and study options close to home and abroad, a stellar athletics tradition, and successful career preparation.

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