An Open Letter to My Sorority Upon My Graduation

College

This week were senior celebrations at the Beta Chapter of Gamma Phi Beta. Being one of the many to enter alumna status this coming April 30, I was honored to feel the love from my chapter around me. As part of the celebrations, the seniors were prompted to write a speech about their experience and what Gamma Phi meant to them. I wrote the following letter to my sorority, and I wanted to share it here in case any girl four years behind me will be going into college this fall and is contemplating whether or not a sorority is for them. Know that the experience is a really fulfilling one that surrounds you with amazing people. Know that sometimes first impressions aren't the ones you're looking for, but also know to never give up hope, because even when you least expect it you might stumble into just what you were looking to find.


How to Rock Your Internship

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Internships are one of the most vital and important experiences as a college student when it comes to getting ready to enter 'the real world'. There is so much more to being an intern than filing papers or getting coffee - internships give you a taste of a career, of an industry. They offer you the chance to reflect on what you want in a job, and a sense of what to expect when looking for one. And ultimately, internships give you the one thing a classroom can't - experience. Working hands-on in an industry will teach you more about what jobs entail, and teach you life skills that you'll need for any career.
I spent two (and a half) summers interning for the same digital agency in their marketing and innovations team, and I've been at the same university paper as a reporting intern for three years now. I owe so much to these jobs - they've taught me how to survive in an environment that isn't a classroom, they've taught me valuable work skills, and they gave me a more educated opinion of what I want to do with my life.

Here are some of the tips that I've picked up over the years on how to rock your internship.

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College 101: Organization and Study Tips

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It's getting to that point in the semester when everything begins to catch up to you way more quickly than you'd like.  It feels like Welcome Week was just yesterday, but your professors are already assigning ridiculous amounts of reading and giving you pop quizzes, and suddenly midterms are looming closer every day.  Trust me, I've had my fair share of mental breakdowns to know the pain.  Those midnights before a paper is due when you don't even have a thesis statement?  Or those all-nighters spent cramming for exams that you know no matter how much you study for, you'll never feel prepared enough?  The woes of college life are literally endless.
 But then again, how can we complain when we're so lucky to be here?  I always feel a tinge of guilt when I'm stressed out and thinking about how I'd rather just drop out of school and join the circus.  And then I realize that I don't have the coordination to walk a tightrope and I'm not as cool as Reese Witherspoon and can't perform gymnastics on top of an elephant.  So instead, I clear my head.  I remember that I want this because I have big dreams and this is how I'm going to get there.  I get focused and I get organized.  The best way to treat a new school year is to get in control of your work before everything you feel overwhelmed.

Here I've laid out some study and organizational tips that work for me.  Granted, everybody learns differently.  How I study may not be what works best for you.  The best way to figure out what does work for you is to try out different methods.  If you are really struggling in school, talk to somebody.  There are countless resources on campus to get help - counselors, academic advisers, tutors, etc.  Utilize them.  You may feel like you're drowning in the pressure of the semester, but trust me, you are not alone in that feeling.  Getting focused and organized will help you live up to your potential.


Gone Greek: Why I Decided to Join a Sorority My Junior Year (and Why it Was the Best Decision I've Ever Made)

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Going into college, I never saw myself as a sorority girl. 
Don't get me wrong, I love Legally Blonde as much as the next girl.  Elle Woods is a total kickass feminist icon and my friends and I used to joke freshman year that we were sisters of Delta Nu because we liked boys and parties but we also wanted gender equality and to know that we could ace law school too if we wanted.  
But really, when it came down to it, I started college not knowing what Greek Life was all about.  Some people said they loved it.  Others said it wasn't for them.  I apparently missed the application for rush, so I figured I stood with the latter. 

So how did it come to be that now, as a junior at the University of Michigan, I am writing this as a sister of Gamma Phi Beta?  Let's rewind.