Elizabeth + Eric Levin

When did you graduate?

We both graduated in 1999

Where are you originally from?

Eric: Northbrook, IL

Elizabeth: Highland Park, IL

We grew up less than 15 minutes from each other and shared many common friends, however, it took Miami for us to finally meet and ultimately end up together.

What were your majors?

Eric: Management Information Systems (MIS) in the Farmer Business School

Elizabeth: Theatre

Where did you first meet?

We met outside Donato’s pizza (what is now Corner Grill & Drinkery) at a Hillel event for students who were both Jewish and in the Greek system. Elizabeth was Tri-Delt and Eric was Sigma Pi.

Who was your favorite professor and why?

Eric: Skip Benamati. He was an Associate Professor when I was at Miami. He’s now the department chair. I did an independent study with Skip focusing on encryption. It was his class and that independent study that steered me toward my internship in cybersecurity and put me on my career path.

Elizabeth: Shirley Huston-Findley and Catherine Moore. Both were theatre professors and were instrumental in helping me hone my craft as a theatre artist.

What is your favorite Miami memory (aside from meeting your partner)?

Eric: Playing broomball. It probably sounds cliche (as everyone played), but I took it seriously. Probably too seriously. Several of us continued playing for years after graduation in Evanston, Illinois.

Elizabeth: For sure it would be performing in theatre productions. Miami gave me a chance to truly cut my teeth as an actor.

If you attended Hillel, what was your favorite Hillel moment?

Hillel was where we created and cultivated some of our best friendships. Many of Eric’s fraternity brothers were active at Hillel, so they would attend together. Hillel was the reason the two of us met and, to this day, some of our closest Miami friends are our Hillel friends.