Augustana

Believe it or not but, I was afraid that I wasn't going to make any friends in college. I didn't know what anyone coming to Augie except Mary Moo, and the strangers on the facebook page. Those strangers became my friends. They became my teammates, classmates, co-workers, and some, my sorority sisters. This post is about Augie's impact on me in just one year, and how important it is to stay involved.

When I first got to Augustana, there was a huge activities fair. The had almost every activity you could imagine, except speech of course.

Even though I decided to quit cheerleading my Senior year of high school, somehow, I ended up at cheer tryouts. So here at Augie, the first thing I became was cheerleader. The cheerleading team was fun and while there was way less drama than any other cheer team I've ever been on, there was still a little bit of drama. But, that's okay because I still met some of the most amazing girls that I am proud to call my teammates!

The next thing I became at Augustana was a Journalist. I interviewed at the Augustana Observer and became an Arts & Entertainment writer. I love writing and although I wasn't able to write as often as I'd hoped, it was still a fun experience. Next year, I will continue writing for The Augustana Observer, as an opinions writer.

Throughout my freshman year, I attended meetings for Alpha Psi Omega (AYO), the theater fra-orority. I also took part in both of the musicals: Elegies for Angels, Punks, and Raging Queens and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Getting to be apart of these shows was an amazing expirience. The cast was super fun and working with Shelley Cooper is an honor! Although in the end, I had decided that I didn't want to pledge AYO, it still had a huge impact on my first year of college.

Aside from a cheerleader, journalist, and actress, I also became an international event planner! This year I had the opportunity to go to Scotland and work the conference we spent all year planning. This is through an internship with the International Family Therapy Association. I have already started planning next years conference that takes place in Basel, Switzerland! This internship is an amazing experience because I got to learn not only how to event plan, but I got real life, hands-on experience and am able to communicate with our client and guests. Attending the conference and seeing everything fall perfectly together, exactly as we planned is a pretty great feeling.

I am also in my school's Advertising Developers club. This means taking a real life client and making an advertising plan for them. For example, last year we re-branded hotdogs for Wienerschnitzel. Our campaign was about the nostalgia of hot dogs: Relish the Moment. After working on the campaign all year our team goes to the ADs competition to compete and present. This year we came in 4th.

Towards the end of the year, my friend got me involved with Augie Acres. I go when I have extra time. Augie Acres is a volunteer program where we take care of the garden. Over the summer they have been selling their vegetables at the farmers market!

Lastly, at Augustana, I became a Phi Rho. For those of you reading who have no clue what that is, it is simply my sorority. To outsiders Phi Rho has no meaning. But to me, Phi Rho means everything. It means love, loyalty, trust, friendship, sisterhood, and so much more. Being a Phi Rho has been such a great experience. Phi Rho gave me sisters who will truly always have my back. If it wasn't for Phi Rho I would have never met some of the girls I consider my closest friends. So many people have negative connotations when they hear about greek life. But this sorority, Phi Rho, is full of inspiring women, empowering women, and loving women. I look up to my sisters and I aspire to inspire the future of Phi Rho in ways that they have inspired me.

All that being said. I honestly do not know one person on this campus who isn't involved with at least one thing. Whether it's sports, activities, volunteering, greek life, or internships there is literally something for everyone. Academics come first, always. But, it is so important to be a part of something that is bigger than yourself. Yes I made friends in class, but the bonds I have made through my extracurriculars will never break. It might be difficult at first, but step out of your comfort zone and take positive risks by joining something you might like. I promise it will change your life.