Meet Our Latest Alumna Spotlight: Katherine Smoldt

Living and working as an interior designer in New York City, Katherine Smoldt keeps us up to date with what she has been up to since graduation. Read how her time at Mizzou as well as her philanthropic involvement within Theta has shaped her into the woman she is today.

Name: Katherine Smoldt

Theta pledge class: MC '15

When you graduated from Mizzou: Spring 2019

Major/Degree: Architectural Studies with an Emphasis on Interior Design | Minor in Business

Hometown: West Des Moines, Iowa

Where you live now: New York City

Where do you work right now/what have you been up to since graduation? I work as an Interior Designer for a flexible workspace company called Hana. We design super fun office spaces all over the world!

What's your favorite thing about your job? I really love the people I work with and the creativity within the job! I started at the company when they were very small so it has been fun to be an integral part in Hana’s growth!

What's your favorite thing about the city you live in? Almost everything! But especially the subway, the bagels and bodega flowers.

What are you passionate about? All things design! Interior design, graphic design, event design, product design, I could go on! It really fuels my creative side and I find it all very rewarding whether it is for myself or someone else.

What do you do in your free time? Read, needlepoint, redecorate my apartment, or help friends decorate theirs, try new restaurants with my friends or have picnics in the park, as well as being a member on a fundraising event committee within the New York Junior League (an Educational Women’s Volunteer Organization).

Other future career/life goals: I would love to live abroad again sometime in the future! I studied abroad in Dublin, Ireland and I really loved living in a new city and learning about its culture, as well as being able to travel often. As for my career, I just really hope I always love what I’m doing and stay creative!

What do you miss most about Mizzou? I miss having all of my friends around so much! We were always doing something together, tailgating football games, celebrating birthdays, studying together at the library, going on weekend trips, I loved having such a great friend group around in college.

What do you miss most about Theta? All of the social events! It was so fun to get dressed up and see everyone in my pledge class at once. We all had our separate friend groups but always had so much fun when we were together as a class.

What is one thing you took away from being a part of Theta in college that has shaped you into the woman you are today? Definitely the importance of philanthropy. At Theta, we were always planning a philanthropy event, donating blood during Homecoming and Greek Week or volunteering within the community. When I graduated college I realized I really missed doing it all! It was a big factor in my decision to join the New York Junior League. I also still continue to donate blood as often as I can, as all of the blood drives in college really showed me how much of an impact it can have on a community.

Do you have a specific favorite Theta memory? I think I have too many favorite Theta memories! Studying at the house as a freshman and getting to know the older girls, homecoming season where we would pomp all night, and living in a 6-man room at Theta with my friends are definitely some of the highlights.