Our latest Alumni Spotlight features Eric VanEpps, Bellevue West Class of 2006 — a former student actor, forensics competitor, and aspiring journalist who followed his curiosity into a career in academia. Now an associate professor of marketing at Vanderbilt University, Eric reflects on the experiences and relationships that shaped his path and offers thoughtful advice for today’s students about pursuing what genuinely interests them.

Bellevue Alumni Association - Alumni Spotlight:

Eric VanEpps, Bellevue West Class of 2006

Q: What was your most memorable experience in high school?

A: Being in the fall play "Scapin" my freshman year. Even more than acting itself, I remember having rehearsals day after day, hanging out backstage, and making new friends. Perhaps best of all, it gave me the opportunity to act alongside my older brother Matt (a far funnier, more natural actor than I'll ever be) during his senior year--an experience we were both really fortunate to have.

Q: Tell us about a teacher, coach, or staff member who significantly impacted you

A: I worry I'll offend several amazing teachers by not mentioning them, but my mind jumped to Jim Hirz, who taught AP US History. It felt like he took a chance on me by letting me take the class, and then he challenged all of us to be better, faster writers with how he prepped us for the AP test--days when we would walk into class and have an essay prompt on the board did so much for me and my ability to think quickly, synthesize my thoughts into arguments, show up to class prepared, and marshal evidence to support my ideas. The best kind of college preparation.

Q: What activities, clubs, or sports were you involved in during high school, and how did they influence your path after graduation?

A: Forensics (aka Public Speaking) - I joined the Forensics team at the end of freshman year and participated all four years in a variety of different events. It's one of those activities where the connection to life after graduation shows up over and over, especially in my career as a professor, where I'm constantly presenting to audiences and classes.

Soccer - I've played soccer all my life, and now I coach my kid's soccer team!

Newspaper - I joined the school newspaper staff in my junior year, back when I thought my career would be in journalism. And then I realized that I didn't like interviewing people for stories, which (it turns out) is a fairly essential part of the job. I still have immense respect for journalists, and I wish local newspapers were more financially stable to have more jobs out there for good journalists, but I may have unwittingly made a very wise career decision by finding an alternative path.

Q: What do you do for a living?

A: I'm an associate professor of marketing at Vanderbilt University. I went straight from undergrad to graduate school to a postdoctoral fellowship to being a professor, so I've never really left school. I decided during my sophomore year of college that I wanted to be a professor and haven't looked back. My research generally focuses on consumer behavior and decision making, like how we decide to make donations to charity or how subtle influences can help us to make healthier eating decisions. But there's also the opportunity to work on seemingly random ideas, like a project about how people often fail to ask sensitive questions (for example, asking a coworker what their salary is) because they worry they'll offend their conversation partners.

My primary future goal is to receive tenure at Vanderbilt, and from there to keep publishing research and teaching great students. One exciting part of academia is the chance to work with friends on research projects, and so my other career goals are centered around collaborating with good people--the work is important, but who I do the work with is more important to me.

Q: What has been your proudest achievement since leaving high school?

A: If I can take even a smidgen of credit for how funny and sweet my seven-year-old son James is, that's my proudest achievement.

Q: Tell us about your family.

A: I've been married to Emily since June 2012; we met in college at the University of Richmond, and we started dating in 2008. She told me that she didn't want to be engaged while she was still in college, so I proposed to her on the night of her graduation. In hindsight, it seems crazy that we got married when we were so young, but we are very lucky to have found each other. No regrets.

We have one child, a 7-year-old boy named James. He says that it's his destiny to be a marine biologist, but he also seemed a little surprised and disappointed when we recently told him that most scientists aren't famous. So we'll see.

Q: What advice would you give to current students in Bellevue who are trying to figure out their future paths?

A: Reach out and ask for what your inner curiosity actually wants. I think I was always convinced that I was too unimportant to deserve the time of adults or those who seemed to be in positions of high status. That seems foolish and self-defeating now; students are in the perfect position to pursue their interests and make connections.

Eric’s Favorites…..

Movie: The Truman Show

Book: An Immense World by Ed Yong

Song: Bonzo Goes to Bitburg by The Ramones

Food: A blueberry fritter from Beiler's Doughnuts in Philadelphia

Bellevue Restaurant or Business: The Bellevue Public Library