NE Dallas News

Ruan Meintjes said Patrick Henry College prepared him for life by teaching him to prepare for the unexpected. That includes overcoming COVID-19 earlier this year.

Meintjes — pronounced "main-keys" — said PHC changed him, molded him, helped him become who he is now.

“Completely formative. My career has looked drastically different than what I anticipated when I graduated PHC,” he told NE Dallas News. “Turns out, life has a habit of throwing curve balls. PHC’s education actively trained my classmates and I to be comfortable with curve balls.”

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Meintjes graduated in 2016 with a degree in political theory from Patrick Henry College, a private liberal arts, non-denominational Christian college In Purcellville, Virginia.

It has two departments, offering seven majors. The Government Department has majors in Government, with several options: Journalism, Economics & Business Analytics and Strategic Intelligence in National Security.

The Classical Liberal Arts Department offer degrees in Classical Liberal Arts, History and Literature. 

PHC also has minors available in Biblical Studies, Classics, History, Journalism, Music and Philosophy.

Enrollment was 311 in the fall of 2019. Founded in 1998, PHC's first classes were held in 2000. 

It’s a demanding place, and Meintjes said he appreciates that now.

“Whether it was reading obtuse texts with the requirement of comprehending and explaining them in short order, or being required to move fast on our feet in highly competitive forensic forums, PHC’s education gave my classmates and I the invaluable gift of being able to practice calmness and confidence in the face of confusion and uncertainty,” he said.

“Moreover, and this is most important, PHC surrounded us with faculty and administrators who had complete confidence (whether we deserved it or not) in our ability to face challenges make it through all right,” Meintjes said. “They believed in us, invested in us, prayed for us, and told us they were proud of us. That made a big difference in my life. My only regret is that I didn’t realize how special that was until after my time at PHC was over.”

Born in Baton Rouge, Meintjes, 25, grew up in Celina, a small town north of Dallas. He now lives in Frisco, a Dallas suburb and location of the Dallas Cowboys’ headquarters and training facilities.

After graduating from PHC, he has been studying for both a Juris Doctor degree and a Master of Business Administration degree at Southern Methodist University, with a projected graduation in 2022. 

But while Meintjes has continued to learn, he also found time to earn.

Since PHC graduation he has worked in specialty healthcare and real estate, and sold a medical company in 2018.

He launched a real estate development company specializing in medical asset management and aviation infrastructure and is preparing to break ground on a first-in-country private aviation residential development that accesses a public airport (www.skytrusttx.com)

“I love working with people and doing the type of business that makes a meaningful difference in those peoples’ lives,” Meintjes said.

“I also enjoy the fact that most days are different, and that the projects I work on involve new and fresh solutions to tired problems,” he said. “Granted, the challenges innate to real estate development are directly responsible for my receding hairline at a far-too-early age, but the sense of satisfaction when a challenge is finally put to bed is an immensely gratifying reward.”

If that’s not enough to keep him busy, he’s a candidate for the Frisco City Council in the Nov. 3 election and hopes to be engaged by that time.

2020 is a year unlike any in recent memory, with the coronavirus pandemic, economic upheaval and protests in cities across the country. Meintjes said he and his family are “coping well” with the challenges.

“Several family members and I contracted COVID early on this year,” he said. “We were blessed in that we did not suffer any major health challenges and made a quick recovery. The rest of my family (they’re all from South Africa) in Africa and other parts of the globe are experiencing much more severe lockdowns.”

Typically, he looks for available benefits.

“There is always opportunity in a crisis. Due to COVID, we’re seeing a lot of businesses and pilots moving to Texas,” Meintjes said. “Consequently, some of our developments are experiencing COVID-driven growth as people and companies seek to reposition to the suburbs and less-dense areas.”

He said his crucial years at Patrick Henry College prepared him for such an intense schedule.

“My goal now is to take those gifts I received at PHC, and pay them forward,” Meintjes said.