Meet GoPride.com's December Model of the Month, Eric.

Twenty-four year old Eric was raised in a farm outside of Harcourt, Iowa, and currently resides in the Roscoe Village neighborhood of Chicago.

"I love the amount of energy of this city has," Eric says about the Windy City. "Being from rural Iowa, I became used to a very low-key and predictable lifestyle. While that definitely does have advantages, I feel so much more invigorated while in Chicago. Not only is there always a new place to discover, but there are so many people releasing all sorts of energy in this city…and I feel that energy. It affects me and kicks me into a different gear, both physically and mentally. This city has the incredible ability to allow someone to reinvent themself if they choose to use that energy."

When asked about his workout routine, "I’ve always had lifting weights and high-intensity interval training as the staples of my workout, but lately I’ve been getting much more into yoga. When the classroom in my gym is not being used, I go in there, turn out the lights, and do yoga. I play Sigur Ros from my iPod through the speakers, and everything just melts away and I feel amazing."

Eric currently works front desk at a local gym. He graduated from Southeast Webster High School and attended Luther College and graduated with honors and a B.A. in Biology. Eric then accepted an offer to study at the University of Iowa as a Ph.D. student in the Department of Biology. He adds, "I was studying Evolutionary Genetics when I decided I had to go and really pursue modeling, which had become my biggest passion."

Eric also has a big heart. "Each Christmas I make a donation to Heifer International, which is an incredible organization that gives gifts of livestock, seeds, and tree seedlings to impoverished people and families throughout the world. The organization then teaches these people to care for their animals or plants in a sustainable way that will provide them consistent and reliable income and food," he told the GoPride Network. "I am also a supporter of the World Wide Fund for Nature and the 1-4-1 program by Justus Clothing, which donates a pair of underwear to a homeless shelter for every Justus item bought."