ITS jobs keep dad and daughter close
Information technology manager Eric Chapman and sophomore Kate Chapman are family and colleagues.
Kate Chapman ’27 remembers going to work with her dad as a young kid, often tagging along on a teacher workday. She would settle into his office with a laptop to keep herself entertained while her dad, Eric, worked as an information technology manager in the UNC School of Medicine.
Today, Kate still hops on a laptop while on campus, but now she’s doing it as both a sophomore majoring in journalism and as a student worker with the Information Technology Services communications team. The job blends her passion for writing and communications and her personal experiences with her dad’s IT career.
She has a new name for her dad, too: colleague.
“When I got the job with the ITS communications team last year, my dad was so excited,” said Kate. “He said, ‘We’re going to eat lunch together every day. This will be great.’ But we both knew he was joking.”
“OK, I may have said that,” said Eric. “But my intent has always been to give her plenty of space to find her way. I think we have a good balance.”
While Eric and Kate aren’t regularly on Zoom together or attending the same meetings, they do work with many of the same people and cross paths at various campus events like FallFest and the annual ITS Chili Cookoff. Eric has also become a reliable source for Kate when she’s writing a story for the ITS website.
“If I’m writing a story for our employee newsletter about something he was involved in, I’ll message him and say, ‘Hey, Dad, would you be able to provide a quote for this?’ It’s funny, he will only message me on Microsoft Teams for anything work related, never a text,” said Kate. “But it’s pretty nice to be able to go straight to the source.”
Her parents, who live in Apex, were ecstatic when Kate was accepted to Carolina after graduating from high school a year early. Kate hopes to one day pursue a career in political journalism.
“Obviously, I’m very proud that she’s here at Carolina and following her passion at a journalism school with such an incredible reputation,” Eric said. “I just know that 40 years from now, this experience is setting her up for a lot of success, and as a parent, ultimately, that’s what you hope for.”
Kate has always loved making sure her dad is part of her daily life. They exchange Snapchat snaps and enjoy making TikToks together. Eric even stepped in to DJ Kate’s sorority bid day.
It’s a bonus when she gets to cross paths with her dad at work. “I don’t live that far away, but it’s not always easy to get home,” said Kate. “It’s really special to get to see him more often now.”
The Chapmans appreciate that theirs is not a typical college experience.
“A lot of people, when they go to college, their relationship might grow apart with their parents because they don’t see them as much. My parents are empty nesters now, and I want them to know that I care and want to spend time with them,” Kate said.
As a father, Eric enjoys hearing what others have to say about his daughter. “A lot of times people will tell me, ‘Oh, my gosh, I just love your daughter. She’s so wonderful,’” he said. “It’s the greatest thing to hear.”
