I got the opportunity to go on a Greek Diversity and Leadership Retreat this past semester. I was chosen by my sisters as a representative for AOII and it was amazing. Not only did I get the opportunity to represent my sorority, but I got to meet awesome Greek community members. I developed leadership and diversity skills, which are really important to me for many reasons. I was great to help further the growth of the Greek community and jump start new ideas for diversity.
My sorority has been really amazing this semester. I feel very passionate about all the opportunities I have been given through it, in leadership, philanthropy, service and sisterhood. I am able to give back through AOII and have also been given a lot. It is the most fun, beneficial and important thing I’ve done so far in my time at OSU.
In January of this year, I went through formal recruitment and after two weeks of tired days and tears and anxious feelings, I received a bid from Alpha Omicron Pi. In just a few short and crazy months, I was initiated and found my home. AOII has given me so many opportunities to not just interact with girls I would have never met without Greek life, but also prove my commitment leadership skills – the same day we were initiated, I got elected to my first position in the chapter, and hopefully many more of these moments will come.
AOII has also given me the opportunity to have a fam – my big, Gbig, GG, cousins, aunts, etc – all amazing, supportive women who took me in and have helped me with everything. They taught me what it means to be an AOII woman and to live our ritual every day, and to have an amazing time while doing so.
These girls have meant a lot to me in my first year at OSU. They were the first friends I made at OSU. They have made my time so far not just easier but a lot more enjoyable. We can talk about anything from dumb jokes or video on the internet to politics and cultures around the world.
They have cooked with me and ordered food at 12:00 PM with me, and went to see kids movies with me, and explored Columbus with me. They have made making new friends after high school so much easier and so much fun and I can’t imagine my first year, or my next 3 years, at OSU with out them.
My Nana’s charm on the same chain as my Confirmation cross
On September 11, 2015 my grandmother, my Nana, died. She was a very important person to me. We talked every Sunday morning after church, and usually a few times during the week as well. Losing her meant losing a friend, someone to talk to, who made me happy and feel stable during the turbulent first months of college. It was very hard on me, and still is.
When my mom and her sister cleaned out my Nana’s house, they took some her jewelry for themselves, my sister and I and our cousins. I sorted through it and found this and instantly latched on to it. I wear it everyday, and I means a lot to me.
Wearing it reminds me how much I loved her and how proud she was of me. She always told me that she knew I was doing great things in college and she was proud of my future to come. Wearing it also reminds me to keep everything she taught me close to my heart, from our heritage, beliefs and traditions to the importance of a good meal, whether that’s Bob Evan’s breakfasts or homemade wedding soup or drumsticks hidden in the back of the freezer when my mom wasn’t around. Wearing it reminds me how much I love her and miss her and how I know she’s watching over me.
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This year was a time of huge ups and downs. I left home, moved away from my twin sister for the first time ever. I lost some of the most important people in my life, and struggled with keeping my own identity at college. But I also learned how to be on my own, made friends, explored and began to love a city I had despised for my previous 7 years in it. I joined organizations that let me lead and learn, took classes that expanded my horizons and became a bigger, better person because of OSU. This year has, overall been one of great learning and change.
Next year I hope to continue the same trends of learning, leading and living. This year, OSU left its mark on me, next year I would like to return the favor. Whether its the classes I’m taking or the organizations I will be involved with, I hope I can give back to OSU in some way.
Global Awareness: I work hard to keep myself up to date on global issues in the world. I also think its important to consider all points of view on subjects, and in my classes, especially International Studies classes, I work hard to consider all cultures and viewpoints as I begin to prepare to create opinions and ideas about international issues.
Original Inquiry: I’ve been spending time this past semester and this upcoming on investigating and studying more issues I care about. I’ve been considering more and more domestic issues as I try to find a future career, and in doing so I’ve been focusing on learning more about local government and ideas.
Academic Enrichment: Last semester was a difficult one, because I over extended myself academically and had issues with professors in certain classes. But I really worked hard to overcome those issues and continue to do well in school and kept my GPA up and my goals met.
Leadership Development: I was given a lot of leadership opportunities this semester through my sorority. I was a representative to a Greek leadership and diversity retreat, had a lot of little opportunities for development, and I was elected as an officer in the role of Panhellenic Delegate within my sorority.
Service Engagement: I was given a lot of opportunities to give back to the community through my sorority as well. I helped out with a Trick-or-Treating event for kids in the lower-income surrounding areas, I made blankets and cards with my sisters for children’s hospitals in the area, as well as other service and philanthropic events.
My studies in International Relations and Spanish have really been beneficial with my future career goals.
I also hold the position of Panhellenic Delegate in my sorority, Alpha Omicron Pi, which hold similarities to being a part of the international diplomatic community. I represent my sorority to the outside Greek community and the non-Greek OSU community. And I get to make votes and decisions about how the sororities interact and exist at OSU.
In International Affairs Scholars class, we were grouped together and asked to make a profile and presentation that explained on of the UN’s Millennium Goals and a specific region or country’s work towards reach that Goal. For our project, we researched and presented India’s work towards eradicating and stopping to the spread of HIV/AIDs, Malaria and other deadly diseases. Aside from teach us about the goals that were to be achieved by this year and various regions around the world, this project was a vital part of making students feel more connected to the Scholars class and program as a whole. We worked with our peers to create bonds with people who have similar interests and with whom we many be learning and working with our entire college career, and we learned how group work and presentations will look at the college level. This Millennium Goals Project was a vital and important part of my first semester at The Ohio State University.