In nature, even the smallest seeds—with care and favorable conditions—can produce great bounty whether it be fields, forests, or flowers. Virgel Caval ’20 is a living example of how that same principle can apply to human nature.
Caval arrived at Illinois State University as a freshman admitted to the Mennonite College of Nursing. It didn’t take long for him to determine that his interests were elsewhere. So, he entered the College of Business (COB).
“I found out I didn’t want to be a nurse and switched majors,” Caval said. “I still feel kind of bad that I took someone’s spot and then left.”
But things usually go the way they are supposed to, and Caval found his academic home in COB majoring in advanced marketing analytics. He also got started right away on pursuing internships. By the time he graduated, he had worked four internships. Now a senior product manager at Hulu, he attributes much of his success to those internships, those small opportunities, that were the start of something big. He also credits his time at The Vidette, where he sold ads, for getting his professional career started.
“Every internship experience I had built on top of each other,” Caval said. “When I interned at Disney in New York City that unlocked my whole career.”
He had an offer to work at Disney post-graduation, but the coronavirus (COVID-19) sidetracked opportunities like that one. He found work at a couple of startups before landing at HBO Max in May 2020 as an associate product manager, also in New York City. After a year, he was promoted to product manager. He stayed in each job for one year before moving to Hulu in June. Caval said he still uses that same internship formula of building one experience into the next.
“I am here at Hulu based on what I did at HBO Max,” he said.
His job entails working with Hulu and Disney Streaming’s designers and software engineers to build Hulu’s live TV business. Specifically, he works on the Live Guide, the feature used for finding channels, the cloud DVR for recording shows, and Live Governance, which is related to account sharing.
“I love my job and feel very grateful to have landed where I am today, and ISU played a big part in my success,” Caval said.
A first-generation college graduate, Caval, now 26, grew up in Mascoutah, near St. Louis. He currently lives in South Orange, New Jersey, giving him easy access to his office in Manhattan. But his life began in in the Philippines, his mother’s home country and where they lived until moving to the U.S. with his American father when Caval was 9. He said his life has been significantly influenced by his family’s immigrant experience.
“It wasn’t an easy childhood,” he said. “We were immersed in a culture where you learn that certain things don’t come easy living in a developing country. I saw how hard working everyone was and how appreciative they were for what they had. Those were good lessons that I learned there, and I have very fond memories of that time.”
To make college possible financially, Caval was awarded a Redbird Scholarship and joined the Army National Guard right after high school, even doing a gap year in the Guard before starting at Illinois State. In all, he spent six years in the Guard and served as a medic at posts in Louisiana, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Texas.
“I can tell you it’s not fun sleeping in a tent in the cold, but it does build character,” he said of the experience.
He said his parents and his younger brothers, who all live in his hometown, are proud of the path he’s taken, adding that he hopes he’s influencing his siblings.
At Illinois State he was a student leader, serving on COB’s executive council. He also helped start the marketing analytics society and was active in the business fraternity, Delta Sigma Pi, a registered student organization.
“Delta Sigma Pi was a really valuable experience,” Caval said. “It’s where I learned soft skills like presentation, networking, and resume building. I also had such good professors. I feel like I had high aspirations, and they always supported my ambitions.”
Caval said professors Mark Gibson, Dr. Chiharu Ishida-Lambert, Dr. Peter Kaufman, and Dr. Juno Lim were instrumental in his development.
“Those four had a really big impact on me by pushing me,” he said. “I enjoyed their classes and had really good relationships with each of them outside the classroom. Steve Vandiver (COB executive director of marketing) was also super impactful and was a great sounding board.”
Caval’s advice for current students is to be creative in how they market themselves in today’s competitive job market.
“Pursue unique opportunities that go beyond the status quo,” he said. “I’ve always pursued challenges where I’m forcing myself to learn and grow my skills. My common theme is that I like to be pushed to learn.”
