This week we are excited to be showing off Kylee (Headland) Dunigan, a charter class member!! Kylee graduated in 2011, after two years in Pi Phi, with a major in Biomedical Engineering. She currently works as a Manufacturing Engineer and Supervisor at Enable Injections. During her time at UC, Kylee was heavily involved on campus. She was the Secretary (2009-2010) and President (2010-2011) for the University Funding Board, Public Relations Chair and Social Chair for the University of Cincinnati Equestrian Team, and on the Engineering Week Committee for the Engineering Tribunal. She was also in the Society of Women Engineers, University Honors Association, and Student Advisory Committee on the University Budget. As a member of Pi Phi, she was the Leadership and Nominating Committee Chair.
-Favorite Event in Pi Phi:
Pumpkin Patch and Hay Ride
-Best Memory in Pi Phi:
Charter Class Initiation and Singing Ring Ching with my sisters!
-Tell us a little about yourself!
I'm 28 and live in Cincinnati with my wonderful husband, Joe, and our golden retriever Bailey. We live in a big old Tudor house in Pleasant Ridge, and we're currently renovating our kitchen. Joe and I love to cook together and visit our baby niece, Nora. We also love to travel, and we're planning to visit friends in England and Ireland next year. Most of the time, you can find us in the kitchen making some crazy concoctions while Bailey chews on her tennis ball!
-What made Pi Phi stick out to you throughout recruitment? How did being a member of Pi Phi make a difference in your time at UC?
I joined Pi Phi in my 4th year, so I had plenty of exposure to the other sororities through my friends at SigEp. While I knew great girls in all the other sororities, and many of my best friends now are from those sororities, I never felt like I wanted to join. When I heard about Pi Phi coming on campus, I saw it as an opportunity to help build and develop a group of women like me. It was a great learning and leadership experience!
-As an Alum, how has Pi Phi helped you in your life outside of college? How did it help you grow as a person?
As a charter class member, I got to help set up and implement many of the processes used at our chapter of Pi Phi. We had a lot of growing pains, but we also learned how to work through those together to achieve our goals. These skills have greatly benefited me in my life outside of Pi Phi, where working together with a team is a daily occurrence. Every job and career is going to require teamwork, and learning to work with your peers while still young will only set you up for a more successful career.
-Any advice to those of us still making our way through the wonderful college years?
Put yourself out there and take chances! You will never again be around such a diverse group of people your own age. There is no easier time to figure out what you want out of life. Starting over when you are older is going to be much, much harder. When you are young and on your own, you have so many options!
If you are in a major with co-op, make sure you take full advantage of that co-op. It is the best job interview you will ever have because your supervisor has time to get to know you and see what you can do! If your major doesn't have co-op, get an internship, get your foot in the door!
And just like I told my class my senior year -- travel! Get out of Ohio. See the states. Go to different countries (and not just Europe). Our world is becoming smaller and smaller, and the more experiences you have with people from around the world, the better perspective you will gain, and you'll have a much easier time working with a diverse group of people.
