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GENESEO, N.Y.— Senior Erik Mebust is driven by curiosity and a desire to make tangible, positive impacts on other people’s lives. He achieves this through his altruistic, dedicated work on and off of the ���ϴ����� campus—including an internship with the New York City Office of United States Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.

Hailing from Cooperstown, N.Y., Mebust has shaped his college experiences around the eclectic array of opportunities ���ϴ����� provides. Not only are his studies wide-ranging—he has taken classes within 13 different departments and is an English literature and economics double major—but his on-campus experiences are as well. Mebust is a part of the Edgar Fellows Program, the Writing Learning Center (WLC) and the ���ϴ����� Environmental Organization. Additionally, he was a member of the Blue Wave men’s swimming and diving team his freshman and sophomore years.

Mebust’s active role at ���ϴ����� is complemented by the numerous accolades he has received, including the Bill and Stacey Edgar Annual Scholarship, the Jesse M. Rodgers Memorial Endowed Scholarship, and prizes in the First-Year Writing and Research Paper categories of ���ϴ�����’s annual writing contest. Additionally, Mebust has been inducted to the Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Eta Sigma and Sigma Tau Delta honor societies for his academic achievements.

“I don't like nonsense and I don't like waste. This quality has really helped me as a writer and in my study of economics—two things that don't seem to have much in common,” said Mebust. “If a piece of writing is wordy or feels like it lacks substance, I want to fix it. Similarly, I wanted to study economics because I hoped that it would help me to reduce the amount of inefficiency in the world.”

This belief in the power of succinct writing succinctly is reflected both in his practices and in his studies. In addition to being published in The Economist for his piece “Pinking the Presidency” and his work in assisting students with their academic papers at the WLC, Mebust is partaking in a directed study with Gillian Paku, associate professor of English and director of the WLC. The directed study focuses on reviewing advanced theories of writing and putting those theories into practice into a series of essays on John Milton’s Paradise Lost. Mebust hopes to learn from the study what constitutes good writing.

“Erik is a wonderful writer to work with because he is so ambitious in his goals, both in terms of insightful and complex arguments and the care with which he presents those arguments,” said Paku. “His work [at the WLC] is especially significant in showing that he uses his talents in writing and critical thinking to benefit our whole campus. He’s as willing to help and support a hesitant writer as he is to engage with and nuance the arguments of our most experienced writers.”

Mebust’s altruistic work in aiding students’ writings has not only inspired him at ���ϴ�����, but also when deciding on a career after graduation.

This path includes Mebust’s work at the New York City Office of U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. As an intern from May-August of 2015 in the Constituent Service Department, Mebust spent time with Congressional staffers by aiding constituents in navigating federal agencies. Additionally, Mebust worked in the Outreach Department on growing relationships with various organizations and on increasing awareness of Gillibrand’s work in the Greater New York Area.

“I was experiencing bureaucracy from the inside, and I was in a position to make it actually work for people,” said Mebust. “While working with a bureaucracy was of course frustrating at times, I think this experience showed me that the government really can work for people, and that's had a big impact on how I think about policy and politics more generally.”

Mebust has also spent time improving people’s lives by interning as a research aide and writer for the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington D.C. While there, Mebust completed layout and archival work for their magazine, The Wilson Quarterly, and provided research on the intersection of the private sector with environmental security issues to the Environmental Change and Security Program.

Additionally, Mebust composed for The Wilson Quarterly. His article focused on growing mortality rates among working age whites in the U.S. This is an integral topic to cover because of its large impact on people’s lives, according to Mebust.

“I liked [the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars internship] more than I was expecting to, honestly, given that it was so theoretical,” said Mebust. “I suppose it taught me that I'm always going to need a balance in my life between trying to understand the world and trying to effect change within it.”

In order to understand the world better, Mebust partook in two study abroad programs offered at ���ϴ�����. The first study abroad program was with Ron Herzman, Distinguished Teaching Professor of English, as Mebust took Humanities 220 in Hong Kong Shue Yan University. There, participants visited Buddhist monasteries and gambling centers, drank tea and got fitted for tailored suits, according to Mebust.

“I had the time of my life, and I met some truly amazing people, both from here and from there,” said Mebust. “One thing I began to regret towards the end, though, was that I didn't spend much time exploring by myself, which meant, of course, that I had to go abroad again.”

Consequently, Mebust decided to go abroad to King’s College London during his first semester junior year—a program no other ���ϴ����� students were attending at the time. Mebust also went backpacking around Europe for a month by himself after the program in London.

“I intentionally picked a program that no other ���ϴ����� students were attending so that I would have the chance to explore alone,” said Mebust. “I got to do a lot of things I always dreamed of —like taking a Shakespeare class at the Globe Theatre and eating at a different curry house every night for a week—but the best part was definitely having the freedom to explore a new city and culture alone.”

Mebust’s travels will not end with his college experiences studying abroad. He wishes to spend time abroad after graduation, noting that leaving the U.S. after college will not only allow him to explore a new culture and to learn a foreign language, but also to help others.

That is why Mebust has applied for the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) program, where he would teach English in Vietnam for a year. As an ETA, Mebust would be assisting with teaching the English language within Vietnamese classrooms while serving as a cultural ambassador for the U.S.

“The Fulbright ETA program is a perfect way for me to apply the qualities that drive me,” said Mebust. “Everyone can benefit from knowing more about the world and more about humanity, so as an ETA I can assuage my curiosity and desire to help others without feeling like I'm wasting my time or being too problematic.”

In the meantime, however, Mebust will continue to help others through his involvement in a new writing program at ���ϴ�����. Titled the “Writing Fellows Program,” the initiative integrates WLC tutors directly into some of ���ϴ�����’s first-year critical writing and thinking seminars (INTD 105) to encourage early a culture of collaboration and revision around academic writing.

The skills Mebust has learned in all of his work experiences, academic studies, abroad experiences and more have prepared him for his future after graduation. Not only would Mebust like to attend graduate school to study public policy, but he can also see himself working on environmental public policy for a few years before serving as a writer on current policy issues. Mebust noted, however, that he could also envision himself pursuing a career in law or editing.

“Erik’s talents will no doubt find many outlets and he might choose any number of areas to study or professions to pursue, but any pursuit will benefit from [his] highly honed communication skills,” said Paku.

Story written by College Communications intern Alexandra Ciarcia.

Media Contact:
David Irwin
College Communications
(585) 245-5529
Irwin@geneseo.edu