MSU Administrative Professional Association

Fellow APA Marlee Sherrod  

By Gerlind Kiupel, Communication Committee Member  

1. What is your job title?  Research Assistant 
2. How long have you been at MSU? Working or as a student ha-ha? I went here for undergrad from August 2011 – December 2015, and as an employee since March 2021. So collectively, a little over 5 years. As an employee, 6 months. 
3. Have you been a member of the APA the whole time? Except for the first month, I think, when I was getting my paperwork together. I have multiple family members who were members of the UAW and other unions, so I was excited to finally get the opportunity to join one! Unions do so much in making sure businesses don’t exploit or take advantage of their average, everyday employees. The way unions advocated for fair treatment was pivotal in building the middle class, and many of the protections that we have today would not be here without the unions of the past when they were at their strongest. I’ve always admired the collective strength of people coming together and supporting each other.
4. What department do you work in, and can you tell me a little bit about what you do? I am a in the Division of Public Health. 
5. What do you enjoy most about working at MSU?  I’m so thankful to work at the Flint Campus. I enjoyed East Lansing in undergrad, but for the work I want to do, working in Flint feels more like the real world, which I think is easier to forget about when living in a college town.
6. What do you like to do when you are not at work? I enjoy practicing my Spanish with my tutor. I wish I had more time to devote to it. I enjoy going for a walk and catching up on sleep or watching Bob’s Burgers. It’s the best type of random, not-to-off-the-wall comedy that gets me out of my head and makes me laugh after a long day. It’s probably one of the only tv shows I watch consistently.
7. In high school I was known for  Changing the color in my braids to match the feather plume on my marching band helmet. One year we had a show where each band member had a different color plume. My hairdresser had put colored yarn in my braids before, so I jumped at the chance to do it for this. Even after the show, I continued rocking this style, changing up the color every so often.
8. People would be surprised to know I am skilled at  Directions: I’m good at spatial recognizing where I am and remember landmarks to navigate. It came in handy when I went studying abroad in Turkey:  a group of us students were out at night in Istanbul and the front of the group kept getting lost. I helped us find our way back to the apartment we were renting
9. I have  no pets at the moment, but I would like to get one hopefully within the next 2 years or so. Growing up, we had a turtle, then 2 guinea pigs, and then most recently a German shepherd who I miss dearly.
10. I like all types of music, but it really depends on my mood. Basically, if it has a beat that I like, I don’t care what type of music it is. I find listening to the same type of music to be boring.
11. My favorite area restaurant is ______________ and my favorite dish is _______________.        Since I’ve been working for home since I started, I haven’t had too much of a chance to try the restaurants in Flint yet, but I’m excited too!
12. My hobbies include working on my Spanish, walking, sleeping, talking to my friends and sister on the phone.
13. My favorite junk food is French fries because it’s fried, crispy, and slightly salty on the outside with soft, warm potato on the inside. What’s not to love? Plus, it’s a finger food and easily transportable, so you can eat it anywhere!