From student to staff: Kylie Pearce joins management department as office assistant

After spending years walking the halls of Grawn Hall as a student, Kylie Pearce has returned—this time as an office assistant for the Department of Management.

Pearce graduated from Central Michigan University in spring 2024 with a degree in real estate development. Just three weeks later, she started working in property management, where she rotated through multiple properties, including a short assignment in New York.

“I rotated through four properties and learned a lot, but I realized it wasn’t ultimately what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” Pearce said.

A smooth transition

Because her time as a student was so recent, many aspects of her new role already feel familiar.

“Right now I’m working on a lot of course scheduling,” she said. “As a student, I saw it from the other side, so it’s clicking for me in a new way now that I’m on the staff side.”

She also credits her two-week overlap with long-time staff member Mary Jones as essential for easing the transition.

“Having two weeks of training with Mary made a big difference—I can’t imagine starting without that time,” Pearce said.

When asked what advice she’d give new colleagues, Pearce didn’t hesitate: “Ask questions. I’m huge on asking questions. I truly feel like no question is a dumb question.”

Looking ahead

Pearce is interested in using CMU’s staff tuition benefit to take classes.

“I have been thinking about furthering my education and taking a couple of classes, maybe getting my MBA, but I haven’t decided anything just yet,” she said. She’s going to spend time settling into her new role before taking on any additional commitments.

Outside of work, Pearce describes herself as “a huge cat person” and has one of her own. “I’ve thought about adding a second cat because I’m away during the day, and I think she would enjoy having a friend to hang out with,” she said. She also enjoys walking, hiking, and fall traditions like pumpkin patches, apple orchards, cider and doughnuts.

“I really loved my time at CMU, and I wanted to come back,” Pearce said. “When I saw this position open, I was very interested and grateful for the opportunity.”