Carolyn (Callie) Bunker '15
TAKING OFF AT UNITED
Carolyn (Callie) Bunker ’15 never expected to get a job working for a major company in Chicago’s famous Willis Tower right after graduation. Her education and experience at Trinity has allowed exactly that to happen. “Looking back, I am able to see how various events that God orchestrated during college, and even before college, were all building up to my job with United Airlines,” said Bunker. “I was extremely blessed to be able to attend such an exceptional school. I never thought that I would be working for a Fortune 500 company right out of college and I am humbled by the opportunity.
Trinity also shaped me to be a person of understanding and empathy, two qualities that are desirable when your job deals with customer service.”
A business communication major with minors in marketing and history, Bunker works as a social media relationship representative for the international airline. She is responsible for day-to-day response and relationship building in the company’s Social Media 24/7 customer response operation. Her job includes actively managing incoming customer conversations from start to resolution. She also identifies social trends, insights, and content opportunities, while replying to positive posts and comments.
As an incoming freshman, Bunker hadn’t decided on a major. “Second semester of my freshman year, I took an assessment test through the Cooper Career Center. The results I received essentially told me that I would thrive in a variety of fields. So I decided to pick up a major in business communication,” she said.
Bunker enjoyed her introduction to marketing class so much that she became a marketing minor. That ultimately led to an internship as the marketing director at the Chick-fil-A in Willowbrook, Ill. “My internship at Chick-fil-A taught me how to work in a fast-paced, constantly changing corporate environment. I also managed all of their social media and was able to gain a greater understanding of using social media as an outreach platform,” she said.
While Bunker was active in a variety of areas at Trinity, including as an FYF [First Year Forum] mentor and Women’s Ministry leader, theater was a particular passion. “My theater involvement lasted my entire college career, and it truly shaped me as a person, teaching me how to be a team player and work on a successful project from start to finish,” she said.
Bunker’s faith was also influenced by every aspect of her college education, she recalled. “The Trinity community reminds me of Romans 12, where Paul says that if you have been blessed with the gift of encouragement then you ought to encourage one another. In verse 10 he says: ‘Be devoted to one another in brotherly love, honor one another above yourselves.’ The people I interacted with at Trinity — faculty, staff, and students — proved to be living examples of these two principles.”
All of these experiences came together to help launch Bunker into her current role. “My past experience with social media through Chick-fil-A and through the Trinity theater proved to be a great asset when applying to my current position with United Airlines. I never thought I would end up with a job in social media and God definitely surprised me with this one,” she said.