MA Spotlight, President – Hunter Van Dyke
If you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Hunter Van Dyke, chances are you’ve heard of him. Maybe you’ve seen him handing out Redbull to weary-looking students. Maybe you’ve heard him effortlessly announce an MA event to a lecture hall full of people. Maybe, if you were lucky, you caught a glimpse of the incredible amount of tasks he gets done during a day.
For those who don’t formally know Hunter, here’s a spotlight on the man behind the presidency.
JM: Can you give a brief description of who you are and what you do?
HVD: I’m Hunter and I’m the president of the MA. In the last couple weeks, I’ve kind of been putting out fires and handling different things that come up last minute. Like someone saying, ‘I don’t have time for this’ or ‘I don’t know how to do this’. That’s when I jump in and help them figure it out. So I do a lot of little bits of everything. All the while trying to keep the MA together; trying to keep everyone in the same boat and keep it afloat.
JM: Why the MA? Why President?
HVD: Being on the executive team last year really opened my eyes to how big the MA is. I get emails almost every day from people saying, ‘Hey, I was the case lead two years ago. I’d love to give back. What sort of workshops can I get in on?’. I love getting those emails because you get to meet over email and then later over coffee. There’s a web of people in industry who are ready and willing to give back. So connecting to those people, and hopefully later becoming one of them, really appealed to me.
JM: What’s been the biggest surprise to you about the role?
HVD: Last year, when I was the first-year liaison with Hunter Sones, it was like our only mindset was school and the MA. This year, a lot of executives have a side hustle. I’ve got RedBull and others are working contract for different marketing firms. It was a refreshing surprise to see that people love to have multiple things on the go. They spread themselves out to get that experience and breadth of knowledge.
JM: What’s something people would be surprised to know about you?
HVD: I’ve never eaten McDonald’s in my life. Not once. I’ve bought food at other fast food joints and brought it to McDonald’s but I’ve never eaten from McDonald’s.
JM: Who is your number one role model?
HVD: I don’t have any one role model. I’ve got different role models for specific areas in my life. I look up to my mom because of her experience and the barriers that she broke down as a woman in marketing back in the 90s. I look up to my dad in a fitness aspect. I look up to my best friend Noah who is very politically engaged. He’s got a large following and I look up to him because of his involvement and what he believes is right in the world.I aspire to be something like any of our instructors. They have incredible experience and they’re all amazing.
JM: Best tip for someone struggling with BCIT?
HVD: Take a breath. Be human. Remember that everybody’s in the same boat.
JM: Bonus lightning round:
JM: Dogs or cats?
HVD: Dogs.
JM: Movie night or early morning hike?
HVD: Early morning hike.
JM: Sweet or salty
HVD: Sweet.
JM: Summer or Winter
HVD: Summer.
Hunter is the epitome of a leader. Whatever he ventures into next, one thing is for sure: he will do it with the style and passion has already brought to his work at BCIT.
Thank you Jenny Mourad for conducting this interview! This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
