Preview a Career
“What you get here is what you need to go anywhere.”
– Christine Epperly Ieuter ’91
Hometown: Oskaloosa, Iowa
Major: Accounting
Student Activities: Sigma Phi Omega; Student Ambassador; Student Council; Upward Bound counselor; Advancement Office student worker; EAM department tutor
Career: Auditor, Ernst & Young, Des Moines, Iowa; Managing Auditor, PriceWaterhouse, Chicago, Illinois; Finance Director, Allstate Insurance Company, Northbrook, Illinois; Chief Accounting Officer, Essendant Inc, Deerfield, Illinois
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Community Service: Moderator, Board of Trustees; First Congregational Church of Wilmette; Board Member, Essendant Charitable Foundation; Volunteer, Wilmette Food Pantry
Central College has always been a part of the life of Christine Epperly Ieuter ’91. “My father was on the coaching staff and worked in the Career and Professional Development Office for years,” she says.
But it wasn’t until after she graduated that she realized just how strong her allegiance to Central was. “It’s because of how the school develops its students into leaders and for service to God,” she says. “Service is a huge part of what I do now, both in my career at Essendant and at my church. Had my education at Central not been so focused on that balance, I wouldn’t have been as confident that I could roll up my sleeves and help.”
Ieuter gives back because she wants Central students to know that their education can take them anywhere. “I can spot a Central alum from across the room,” she says. “They’re warm and friendly, they help other people, they’re polite and professional. The combination of community service, academics and spiritual development at Central is wonderful preparation for life and can take you anywhere. There are Central alumni across the country and around the world. What you get here is what you need to go anywhere.”
Last year, Ieuter started supporting a career preview trip to Chicago. Students spend two days in the city and meet with alumni in various industries and professions. “It’s my brainchild,” says Ieuter, who hopes a dozen students can take the trip this year. The trips, she says, benefit both students and alumni. Students gain alumni contacts and mentors. Some end up with internships that benefit both the student and the organization they end up working for.
That’s how it worked for Ieuter. “Three summers ago, we had a need for an intern. I reached out to Central, they gave me four or five students’ résumés, we picked two of them and they were fantastic. I thought, ‘It’s good for them; it’s good for us. We need to do more of this!’”