Erik took care of his terminally ill father for the last two years of his life. He chose to put his life temporarily on hold and move back to his hometown in Charlotte, North Carolina to take personal care of his father rather than letting him stay in a long term care facility alone. But he would not trade those years for anything. A year after his father’s passing in 2013, he decided it was time to go back to school and finish his degree, which brought him to where he is now. Erik is currently finishing up his last semester at the University of South Carolina and plans to go to graduate school to further pursue his passion for history while also continuing to be active in politics. He currently is active in historical preservation in his community and is an intern at the South Carolina Republican Party. To Erik, the gentleman seems to have become almost extinct. Erik believes we need more good fathers in the home to teach their sons how to become men. Men that do not put themselves first but men that empower and stand behind the women in their life. To Erik, that is the making of a gentleman. Erik is a pro-life, pro-family conservative that believes in personal responsibility and accountability. Erik argues the words duty and honor appear to have vanished from man’s vocabulary in a world full of absent fathers and immorality. He believes a man’s first duty is to his family and to never betray your convictions. As a wise man once said, “Remember God and always be a gentleman.” A gentleman must not merely respect a woman but also empower her, according to Erik. A woman does not need a man’s approval to go after what she wants in life but that does not mean a gentlemen should be any less supportive, in his view. Erik also helped to start NeW’s chapter at USC-Columbia where he serves as Treasurer. The women of NeW at USC so appreciate all his help and support of the organization and the women in it!
