RMU alum Chad Van Horn ‘05 recently starred in the Netflix Original series Squid Games: The Challenge, a reality TV show based off of the massively popular Squid Games which aired in November 2023. But, how did Van Horn get on the show?

“A friend of mine told me about the original show and said, ‘I think you’d really like it.’ It sounded strange to me, and I told him, ‘I don’t think I’ll like it.’ But the parallels between what I do… made the show really hit home for me. The same friend sent me a link and told me they were doing a reality show. He said, ‘We should do it,’ so we sent in a one-minute video, and the next day, I got a phone call. I honestly thought it was a joke, but they told me they were interested in casting me for Squid Games: The Challenge….it was an incredible experience.”

Out of 456 contestants, Chad finished as one of the top 10 finalists on the show, becoming a fan favorite in the process.

“When I go out, sometimes, people will just yell out, ‘Big Chad,’ and get pictures with me, which is cool.”

Now, Van Horn lives in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and has owned his own law firm, Van Horn Law Group, P.A. for the last 12 years, mainly dealing with bankruptcy law. Van Horn’s journey to owning his law firm had many twists, turns, and opportunities.

“It all started back at Robert Morris when I studied Marketing Entrepreneurship. I knew I always wanted to be a business owner… coming out of Robert Morris, I got a job as a financial advisor and the job transferred me to Ft. Lauderdale… I was still in law school and ended up clerking for a bankruptcy attorney, loved it, and everybody needed bankruptcy help at that time, so it was the perfect opportunity for me to be able to help people and business owners. There was a need for it and that’s how I got started.”

Outside of work, Van Horn spends a lot of his free time doing community service. He has had a tenured relationship with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, a non-profit organization whose goal is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. Van Horn started as a Big Brother, but now, is a Board Chair for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Broward County and was voted “Big” of the Year in the State of Florida.

“I’ve been involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters for a long time now… and I was voted “Big” of the Year for the State of Florida, which was a great honor. I had a lot of mentors growing up, my dad passed away when I was young… so that made me want to give back.”

In addition to Big Brothers Big Sisters, Van Horn is also involved with numerous other foundations including the O.J. McDuffie’s Catch 81 Foundation, amongst others. Van Horn believes that working together with these non-profits gives his work meaning.

“It’s really what gives my work meaning” Van Horn said, “the foundation that I’m involved with usually deal with kids and I love helping change the trajectory of a kid, especially at-risk youth that may not have the same opportunities that I had growing up… it’s incredible to see kids grow up and turn into incredible young adults.”

Van Horn may have graduated from Robert Morris in 2005, but his memories from Moon Township are still fresh.

“Robert Morris was some of the best times of my life. It’s a time that can, unfortunately, never be recreated. I still get together with some of the Bobby Mo guys, including next week, I’m going to see my friend for his 40th birthday and he was my freshman year roommate… a lot of those relationships are still going strong and, to me, that was the best part about Robert Morris, it was the people.”

Van Horn remembers a lot about his time at RMU, but what he remembers most are the relationships he made and how Robert Morris shaped him into the person he is now.

“I had so many great relationships with the students, the staff, and the professors. What I loved about Robert Morris was that it was such a protected environment…You learn a lot and you grow up, and RMU was the perfect place for me to grow up.”

Finally, Van Horn has advice to current RMU students and soon-to-be alumni who are about to graduate.

“First off, I would say find a good mentor. Find somebody that you look up to and that can point you in the right direction to help you from learning things the hard way,” Van Horn said, “Next, find your passion and do something you’re passionate about. I know we all have to make money…but doing something you’re passionate about, especially long-term, I think is going to put you in a better position. It’s hard to have that vision when you’re a younger person or someone who doesn't have that experience.”