Baton Rouge native Mary Katherine “MK” Bernard is used to the delicious jambalaya and beautiful weather in Louisiana. Baton Rouge has a lot of outdoors activities like boating, camping and fishing. MK loves to walk the lake, ride bikes and workout on the Mississippi River. But her favorite activity is to bring her standard schnauzer, Rudy, to the dog park. With all the opportunities, staying close to home and attending Louisiana State University (LSU) was something she knew she wanted at a young age.

Membership into fraternity and sorority life at LSU was another thing engrained in MK early on. She grew up with her family remaining highly involved in their Greek Letter organizations. Her grandmother is a member of Alpha Delta Pi and her uncle is a member of Sigma Nu. Her mom is Ann Elizabeth Bahlinger Bernard and her aunt is Katherine Bahlinger Surek, both Louisiana Betas. As for her dad, he is the LSU Theta Xi advisor. The current collegiate members of the Theta Xi chapter fondly know MK as “T-Bird’s daughter.”

Fast forward to Fall 2015, another Bernard family member became a member of Greek Life. It was MK’s cousin, Mary Jo Surek, who joined the Louisiana Beta New Member class. MK explains she was so excited to have her cousin join her chapter that “On Bid Day I was boo-hoo crying!” I think MK still cries when she thinks about that day because she is so happy.

This past year, on LSU Parents Weekend, families enjoyed a variety of events including: the Friday philanthropy Pi Beta PhiveK run, the Saturday formal presentation for New Members and a family crawfish boil on Sunday. The weekend of fun is truly a family affair and MK’s family wouldn’t miss it for the world.

Whether it is walking out her room in the Louisiana Beta Chapter house to see her mom’s composite photo or watching her dad act like a kid at his Fraternity’s tailgate, MK is thrilled she made the decision to attend LSU. And I think perhaps the Bernard family legacy will live on for some time on this beautiful campus.