Interview with Alumna Kim Sutton Eberhardt

Hope everyone had a great holiday season and a wonderful New Year's Day!  I'm sure we were all glued to our TVs watching an amazing bowl game win for MSU!

Speaking of bowl games, going to the Rose Parade in Pasadena is on this next interviewee's bucket list...

Next up in the Interview Series is former Recruitment Chair

Kim Sutton Eberhardt!

Initiation Year: Spring 2000

Offices Held: Recruitment Chair & Internal Social Chair

Did you live in the house?  How many years? Yes, 1 year.

What did you enjoy about living in? Living in the Pi Phi house was non-stop fun.  I enjoyed forming closer relationships with the other women in the house, late night karaoke in Jessica McDonald Behmke's room, chatting with my roomies - Jessica (Wertz) Dipzinski and Robyn Novak.  Most of all, it was the sense of camaraderie and inclusion.

Favorite Pi Phi memory? It's difficult to pick just one.  One of my favorites was recruitment in Fall of 2001, when I was the Rush Chair.  I remember standing across the street and encouraging the girls to sing louder!

Kim (far left) with fellow alumnae at the Pi Phi house for Homecoming 2011

 

What are you up to now? I am married to my college sweetheart Mike Eberhardt and we live in Ferndale, MI (in Southeast Michigan) with our mischievous dog Cooper.  I work as the Vice President of Marketing & Communications at an entrepreneurial finance firm - Hennessey Capital.  I will graduate with a master's degree in Public Relations from Michigan State in May.  I also serve on the board of the American Red Cross (Southeast Michigan Chapter.)

How has Pi Phi influenced/affected your post-college life? The friendships I made through my involvement in Pi Beta Phi have truly lasted.  It has been wonderful to "grow up" together with my Pi Phi sisters and be involved in their lives as they have married and welcomed their own children into the world.  The bond we shared as Pi Phis can never be broken.

Are you involved officially as alumnae (Alum Club, AAC, House Corp)? What chapter? Not currently, but would love to lend a hand where needed after I complete my master's work this Spring.

What do you wish you had known when you were in college? Mixing tequila and vodka is always a bad idea.  Also, embracing who you are and being comfortable in your own skin is paramount to happiness in the long run.

Kim and Alumna Jessica McDonald Behmke at Homecoming 2011

 

Giving what you know now, what advice would you give to your college-age self? Hard work really does pay off- so stick with it.

 
Do you have any resume pointers or interview skills to share? Proof, proof and re-proofread your resume.  I see numerous resumes with spelling errors come across my desk.  Have as many people proof it as possible to catch mistakes that you might overlook. Don't ever say you are a "people person" in an interview.  It doesn't mean anything and professional communicators cringe when they hear it.

 
What is something you wish you were better at? Math!

Do you have a personal motto? Make sure the people most important to you know it - each and every day.

 
Do you have a favorite quote? "Lessons often come dressed up as detours and roadblocks" - Oprah Winfrey and "Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right" - Henry Ford

Favorite TV Show and or Movie? "Parks & Recreation" is my favorite current TV show. I love Amy Poehler! 

What is something on your bucket list? Go to the Rose Bowl Parade (hopefully when MSU makes it to the Rose Bowl!)  

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Happy and healthy is all I ask for!

What is something people may not know about you? I love the Oscars! Each year I try to see all of the movies nominated.

 Thank you Kim for sharing such great tips and sharing your wonderful memories of your Pi Phi undergraduate experience!  Hope you can make it to the Rose Parade someday soon!