Brother Interview: Michael Atkinson '11

This week's interview is on brother Michael Atkinson '11

1. Your name, as you would prefer it to be stated? 

Michael Atkinson

2. Your current location? 

Blackwood, NJ

3. Your Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn account links (or other websites as well)? 

facebook.com/eorphus

Fraternity Stuff:

4. Badge Number? 

149

5. Pledge Class Name?

Phi Class

6. Fraternity Nickname, if you remember it? 

Cyril Figgus

7. Story behind how you got your nickname, if you remember it? 

My big, Amaresh Vidyarthi, and his “heterosexual life partner” Greg Finn were big fans of the show, and they felt I was the most like Cyril

8. Your fondest memory of being a Phi Psi? 

There was a time at Relay For Life when Evan Stone had received some bad news, the nature of which escapes me at the moment, and the brothers who were there all linked arms on shoulders and walked a few laps together as brothers

9. Your most embarrassing moment as a Phi Psi?

Harry Potter mixer, drank too much, kissed the wrong girl

10. Any unique memories from your time as a Phi Psi? 

There was the time that my big left me in Seaside after one of the Polar Bear Plunge events. He and the rest of the car apparently assumed that when I went to the bathroom I had left with another car and started driving home themselves.

11. Any fraternal advice you would give to an undergraduate Phi Psi today? 

Your brothers are there to help you; all you have to do is ask.

12. When was the last time you visited Rowan or the chapter? 

I stopped at Rowan briefly to track down a few portals in Ingress, but I haven’t been to see the chapter in a couple years now.

13. Who's the 1 brother you want to reconnect with / see interviewed here? 

I miss Greg Finn. He should come back into my life.

14. Name 1 friend you made in NJE you still keep in touch with… 

I’d say Jaried Kimberley, but I knew him before Phi Psi.

Career Stuff:

15. Year you graduated from Rowan? 

Never actually graduated. I bounced over to Gloucester County College and then to Camden County College where I earned my Emergency Medical Technician certification.

16. Any advanced degrees or certifications you have? 

EMT certification

17. Your current occupation? 

Stock clerk at Hops & Grapes

18. Number of years in that occupation? 

Three years

19. Any career advice you would give to an undergraduate Phi Psi today? 

If you want to do it, you can; you just have to go out and get it.

20. What's one piece of advice you'd give every undergraduate about networking? 

In the “wise” words of Glinda the Good, “It’s not about aptitude but the way you’re viewed so it’s very shrewd to be very, very popular like me.” But be good at things anyway.

Relationships/Family/Personal Stuff:

21. Hobbies that you are currently into? What do you like to do in your spare time? 

I play a lot of Pokemon; I am in fact a Pokemon Master. I also play Pathfinder and various video games. And I also like to read, but that’s fallen to the way side a lot recently.