College Counselor Chris Blackwell is your typical father, husband, college coun­selor and Master Burrito Ambassador. Yes, he is an ambassador for Chipotle. But how did he get there?

Blackwell grew up in Columbus, Ohio and ate Chipotle once a week throughout his junior and senior year of high school. Af­ter deciding to attend St. Louis University in St. Louis, MO, he was disappointed to hear that there was no Chipotle in town.

Blackwell began a quest to bring Chi­potle to St. Louis by sending an email to Chipotle each week.

“I was actually training to be a pilot at St. Louis University. One day, I was craving a burrito so badly that I flew a family friend’s airplane to Columbia, MO, which was the closest Chipotle,” Blackwell said.

After sending an email every week for five years, Blackwell finally received a re­sponse. Chipotle listened and was adding a location in St. Louis, and they wanted Black­well to be its first customer. He was then named a Master Burrito Ambassador.

Chipotle has continued to be a crucial part of Blackwell’s life. After his wedding, their entire party stopped at Chipotle be­fore attending the reception. He even has pictures of his son laying in a Chipotle bur­rito bag at just 2-days-old.

The Cultivate Festival, an event with live music and different Chipotle foods, took place on Oct.18 in Irving, Texas.

“They had the Cultivate Festival [in Oc­tober] and I accomplished my goal in life: to shake [his hand] and have a conversation with Steve Ells, CEO of Chipotle,” Black­well said.

Blackwell said he never plans on work­ing for Chipotle, but he will continue to be a loyal costumer. In fact, he carries his laptop and other books in a Chipotle bag every day.

“Most people who know me,” Blackwell said, “associate me with Chipotle.”

– Austria Arnold