Eric Trejo: From the Soccer Field to the Financial World

A scholarship to play for a new collegiate soccer program was the boost Eric Trejo ’93, MBA ’01 needed to get him on the corporate ladder to success.

“When I started looking at universities and colleges, I knew the only way I was going to make anything happen was through soccer,” said Trejo, the son of immigrant parents who always stressed the importance of hard work and education.

Thanks to coach Phil Birch, Trejo landed at Rosary College in 1989 as a member of the soccer team formed one year earlier. Back then, matches and practices took place off campus, like at Taylor Park and the nearby forest preserve. The team was tight-knit and more than 30 years later, Trejo remains in touch with many of his teammates.

“We were all inclusive on campus,” he said. “Everyone knew everybody and we all looked out for each other.” Trejo, knowing his strength was with numbers, studied finance and set his sights on international banking. Since earning his MBA, he has held top leadership roles within the financial services industry, including vice president positions with Fifth Third Bank, U.S. Bank, and JPMorgan Chase & Co. More recently, he shifted to the insurance industry, serving as vice president of credit specialties for Marsh USA.

In 2009, Dominican awarded Trejo the Hispanic Heritage Award for his accomplishments.

“To achieve a life of success, of complete success, happiness and fulfillment, you must find your purpose,” he said. “Rosary gave me a great foundation to find my purpose: trust in my teammates and the discipline to focus on my studies and be an ambassador for change.”