Scholarship: Bianka Bubic

     In the past year, I was appointed by my sisters to be the Scholarship Chair for Alpha Phi. I was able to stress the importance of scholarship within the daily lives of my sisters as well as to emphasize the positive side of this pillar with chocolate treats and small rewards during our weekly chapter meetings. Scholarship and academics have always been something that I have held close to my heart since it relates both to my future and to my sorority’s values. Internationally, Alpha Phi is recognized by its three essential pillars and ideals: service, sisterhood, and scholarship. Over the past year, I have been able to transform the image of scholarship to my sisters and positively help our girls improve our chapter’s academic rank amongst the fellow Greek chapters on campus.

     Recently in December of 2013, I was honored by LMU Greek Life by being initiated into the Order of Omega Greek Honors Society on campus. I was recognized amongst other Greek sororities and fraternities for my academic standing and my dedication to both leadership and service within my time at Loyola Marymount. I am very excited to join an elite group of young men and women who are passionate and driven leaders within their respective Greek communities. I am also very proud to represent Alpha Phi within the Order of Omega Society as I begin my membership in the upcoming semester. In the next year, I hope that more of my sisters will join me in this amazing opportunity to promote interfraternalism and excellence in the Greek Life community on campus.

     Scholarship is an important value that all Alpha Phi members cherish and strive to maintain during their years within the collegiate atmosphere. I hope that our chapter will continue its amazing growth as the girls reach their own academic successes each semester. As the late Nelson Mandela stated so eloquently, “Education is the most powerful weapon for changing the world.” And I know, for a fact, that my sisters all have that power to make a dramatic difference. 

Katie DiTomaso: Sister Abroad

A year ago I would have never pictured my life the way it is now. I remember it was Thanksgiving of 2012 and I was on my way to my family’s huge, Italian Thanksgiving get-together like we do every year. That was the first time I brought up the idea of studying abroad to my parents. Little did I know the adventure that was ahead of me.  

I applied and, in April 2013, I found out that I gotten into the Gonzaga-in-Florence study abroad program for the Fall 2013 semester. There are only few instances in my life where I can remember being this excited. This is something I had hoped for and dreamed of for so long. On September 9, 2013, I embarked on what I can say with absolute fact is the journey of a lifetime.  

We began with an opening tour through Paris, Strasbourg, and Garmisch all the way to Florence, Italy, where I have lived and studied for the past 3 months. I still remember the moment when the reality of studying abroad really hit me. It was the first time I saw the Eifel Tower. I remember I was eating a Nutella crepe surrounded by some of my best friends in complete and total awe of my surroundings. The months that followed were full of these “is this real life” kind of moments.  

In Florence, I am less than 5 minutes walking distance to some of the most historical and incredible pieces of art and history in the world, like the Statue of David and the Duomo. Italy is amazing not only because it holds about 60% of the world’s most famous pieces of artwork, but also because its central to most places in Europe.  

Every weekend I have the ability to travel somewhere new. So far I have visited over 50 cities and 10 different countries! Some of my favorite experiences to date have been Oktoberfest in Germany, boating around the Amalfi Coast, experiencing the nightlife in Spain, paragliding in the Swiss Alps, getting a blessing by the Pope in Rome, and walking through the Christmas markets in London. It’s so easy to forget that I’m actually abroad to study.  My biggest stress of the semester was whether to visit Barcelona, Ireland, or London over Thanksgiving break.  

Still, I feel like I’ve learned more in just these three months abroad than ever before. I’ve learned that you’re stronger than you think. I’ve learned how much I appreciate my family, friends, and Phis. I’ve learned that you can’t wear neon or American flag T-shirts in a crowd full of Italians. I’ve learned that late night gelato is always a good idea. I’ve learned that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, but instead where you water it. And above all, I’ve learned that your 20s are your selfish years. It’s a decade to immerse yourself in every single thing possible. So as Mark Twain so beautifully put it, “Throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, and catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. And don’t be sorry.”

Capture A-Phi: Mackenzie Menotti

Capture A-Phi, our capture the flag tournament, was a great finale to our chapter's first Heartthrob Week! It was out 4th year holding Capture A-Phi and it was a success! We earned over $1,500 to support our charity, the Alpha Phi Foundation!

We had over 20 teams of 6 players of more participate in the capture the flag tournament. Since this event was the last competition of Heartthrob Week, we had a bracket specifically for the teams competing in the week long competition that was separate from the normal bracket.

In the end, the mens LAX team took home the gold for the Heartthrob Week bracket and a mixed inter fraternal team of lambda chis, sig eps, and sigma chis won for the other bracket! We loved watching everyone place and get into the games! We hope that all of those that participated had fun because we definitely did!

Mackenzie Menotti: Director of Capture A-Phi 

The Inter Fraternal Winners! 

Alumna of the Month: Jordan Younger

Our Alumna of the Month for August is Jordan Younger! Jordan just graduated from LMU this past spring and is currently attending The New School in Manhattan and pursuing her MFA in Creative Writing. While at LMU she held the position of Director of Fraternity Education (Pledge Mom) and Director of Health and Fitness.

When asked how has her experience in Alpha Phi influenced other aspects of her life Jordan tells us, "Experiencing recruitment four years in a row greatly prepared me to interact with just about anyone. It taught me to hold a conversation and find a point of connection with whoever I am talking to, and that has served me well in the professional world."

Jordan also tells us, "Alpha Phi was such a positive experience for me. The girls I met through Alpha Phi changed my life forever, and I will look back on all of our memories fondly. The girls two years below me will always be dear to my heart, as I was their pledge mom and I have loved watching them grow into beautiful, smart, amazing young women."

Jordan is also an avid blogger on her food blog, The Blonde Vegan. No doubt her experience as Director of Health and Fitness while in Alpha Phi laid the groundwork for this new venture :)

Sisters Abroad: Cristina Ventoza

• One of our sisters, Cristina Ventoza, spent the summer studying and traveling abroad. Read all about her experience here!
• So while most people spent the end of spring semester looking for a summer job, I was looking for a place to spend all my saved up cash. I had spent some time researching different programs to do over the summer, ended up picking a program that was four weeks long in Barcelona. I really did not care about what classes I was going to have to take, but knew I wanted to expand and put to use my spanish skills. I had to take an international business class and a spanish 2 course. I did not know very many people on my trip but that turned out to not be a problem There was 17 of us on our trip all with different expectations and concerns, but in the end I think we would all agree that it was the best four weeks of our lives. We were split into groups of mainly 2 and stayed with host families. I lucked out and would say I got one of the greatest families there was. I had a host mother and two host sisters, ages 19 and 9. They were so nice and attended to anything we needed. The mother would make us breakfast and dinner. Dinner was always a family style that would usually start late, around 9:15 pm and last hours with us talking and comparing cultures. We had classes about four times a week. One weekend we spent doing day trips to Sitges, and Girona, and another weekend we spent doing business visits in Madrid. The worst part about being abroad was remembering that we were still taking classes. It was so easy to get distracted by all that there was to do, but we always found ways to fit some time in for school. Most days I had a four hour break between classes, where I would grab something quick to eat and then head to the beach. The beach was always crowded with people when the weather was nice. It was always a nice place to nap or a good place to attempt to do homework. A couple of my favorite places are Park Güell, that was built by Antoni Guadi and Montjüic, which was a fountain that at night would change colors depending on the music playing. By the time the month was up, we could all hold our own conversing with a Spanish native, we had the metro system completely down, and could tell you where to get the best gelato. I never wanted to leave and can say that I am always going to be trying to find ways to get back there, not only to see my amazing host family, but to visit all the historic parks and buildings.

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Sister Spotlight: International Sister Beatrice Verhoeven

Today's guest blog post is brought to you by one of our international sisters, Beatrice Verhoeven!

“Being from Germany, I had no idea what a sorority was. All I knew was that Elle Woods was a member of one in the movie “Legally Blonde.” Moving to the United States by myself after having lived in Germany for 18 years proved to be a drastic change for me, and I didn’t really know how to handle it. I was extremely homesick, and I was ready to transfer back to Europe. That’s when my best friend, Hannah Comstock, urged me to rush. And at the first Alpha Phi Open house, I met two of my best friends and life-long friends, Elise Fornaca and Jenna Reynolds. These two girls would be my big and pseudo-big in the years to come.

Then I rushed, and I soon found myself in the comfort of Alpha Phi. I knew that I could be myself around all the girls in this chapter, and I didn’t have to pretend like everything was okay when it actually wasn’t. My big would take me out to lunches and keep my mind off the fact that I was 5,000 miles away from home. Attending chapter meetings and going to exchanges made me forget why I was sad in the first place. And every single girl in Alpha Phi, whether it was a senior or a girl in my pledge class, helped me through this rough time.

Now, graduation is almost upon us and I find myself sad to be leaving not only LMU, where I have made great friends and memories, but I realize that I’m sadder to leave the girls of Alpha Phi. Dispersing all over the country, we won’t have Monday’s chapter to look forward to or formals to wear fancy dresses to. But Alpha Phi has been so much more to me than just something to occupy my time with. Alpha Phi gave me girls to look up to, and girls that I wanted to be friends with no matter what--I’ve made friends that I will keep for a lifetime. Some of my best friends are in this chapter, and I truly believe that Alpha Phi has brought us together. I know that leaving LMU will not change the relationships I’ve built, and my heart will always lie with Alpha Phi."

Alumna of the Month: Jenna Reynolds

This month we honor Jenna Reynolds as Alumna of the Month!

While in the chapter Jenna held the positions of Recording Secretary and President. She graduated in 2012. She tells us that "Alpha Phi has helped me immensely as a teacher because it helped prepare me for the organization and management that is required to be in charge of 26 first graders' education. I learned how to plan ahead, how to interact with all types of personalities and how to be a team player. If it weren't for Alpha Phi, I do not think I would be as immune to the pressures of deadlines or ready to deal with all varieties of personalities."

Jenna says, "I love Alpha Phi from the bottom of my heart-- the members of this sorority were there when I needed them the most and the experiences I had helped me shape the person I am today. I learned how to be a leader, a sister and a friend through Alpha Phi. I am forever grateful for all they have given me-- especially my best friend Elise."

Jenna works as a first grade teacher at Friendship Academy of the Arts in Minneapolis, MN. She teaches math, language arts, science and social studies. She also teaches dance for the whole school. Check out her amazing performance as Kelly Kapowski during Alpha Phi's Lip Sync 2011 :) 

We love seeing Alumna working in their community doing what the love! Congrats Jenna!

 Jenna and her class

Jenna at APHIASCO 2012

Ivy Man 2012-2013: NUBE

This week's post is brought to you by our amazing Ivy Man David Neubert aka NUBE! As we are about to choose our new Ivy Man for the upcoming year, we wanted Nube to share his experience with everyone:

"Becoming Ivy man has been a wonderful experience. I have been graced with the opportunity to have friendships that will last a lifetime. Over the past few week as new Ivy man nominations have been in the works, I have had the chance to reflect on my time as Alpha Phi's one and only. I think I can phrase it pretty simply: These girls rock! They are some of the smartest, genuine, and sweetest young women I have ever met. They always go out of their way to say hello to me, shower me with love, and even take care of me when I'm sick (shout out to Alyssa and Noella!).
I can honestly say that I will be sad when I pass on this title to whoever it may be but I will remember the good times:

1. The Perfect Game! Middle of summer, I bought 20 tickets to a random Giants vs. Astros game on a Wednesday. Wow! We. Were. Lucky. Matt Cain pitched a perfect game and we were apart of history!

2. Winning Lip Sync! Kelsey Harrington, Noella Van Der Voode and Keely Miller. Hanging with you guys was too much fun. I'll never forget Noella's dance moves in the Iggy Costume.

3. Knotts Scary Farm! I'll never forget Megan MacDonnell cutting the circulation off to my arm with her Irish death grip while going through the haunted houses. I was hysterically laughing as she was hysterically freaking out!

4. Incahoots! Going line dancing with a number of APhis was the best night ever. Pretty girls, good friends, and some nice country. Can't get much better than that.

5. Winning Greek Week Football! I got the chance to meet a lot of new guys that these girls really care about. We coached a winning team, so that was nice too!

I have a ton of stories from this year with almost everyone of these girls. I know I can expect big things from all of them. Alpha Phi till I die!"

Spotlight: Crescent Girl Samantha Abrahams

Today's blog post is brought to you by Lambda Chi Alpha's crescent girl Samantha Abrahams!

When I joined Alpha Phi I never imagined I would ever wear any other Greek letters.  I was honored when at the end of my junior year I was announced Lambda Chi Crescent Girl.  Being a part of two amazing organizations has made my senior year unforgettable.  As Crescent Girl I get to attend Lambda Chi’s weekly chapter meetings and all of their social and philanthropic events.  These boys have become my best friends and really go out of their way to make me feel special and loved.

Even though I have never been initiated into Lambda Chi there is never a moment that I ever feel left out.  Lambda Chi makes sure to always greet me with a huge hug and keep me in the loop about whatever is going on within their fraternity.  With each new class I get to meet even more amazing men that I may not have normally had the chance to become so close to because they were in a different grade.  Every amazing night that I have had this year has involved Lambda Chi. Even if it’s just a group of us hanging on the couch there is never a dull moment around these guys.  For me being a part of Lambda Chi won’t end once I graduate.  Just like with Alpha Phi these guys will be some of the greatest friends I will have for the rest of my life.

Throughout this year my Alpha Phi sisters have gone out of their way to support me as Crescent Girl.  Whether it’s helping me out with my try-out, coming with me to bring in treats or going out to their philanthropy events these girls are always more than willing to help out.  It is hard to really put into words how much the members of both Alpha Phi and Lambda Chi mean to me.  Having to graduate and no longer be active in the Greek community is going to be hard but I have been so lucky for the memories and the most amazing friends that I will have forever.

Spotlight: Director of Social Events Marissa Slavinsky

Today's blog post is brought to you by our Director of Social Events, sophomore Marissa Slavinsky!

Since I was little, the lure of event planning has been present in my life. Whether I was planning the small-scale wedding of Barbie & Ken or making some big plans for my next birthday party at the bowling alley, nothing sounded better to me than the idea of bringing a group of people together to celebrate and having the pleasure of knowing they had an enjoyable time while doing it. 

As someone who loves helping others, I wanted to be surrounded by a group of young women who would help me in return and support me in the decisions I made. I found everything I was looking for in Alpha Phi and decided to run for Social Chair my sophomore year. This was the perfect chance for me to give back to the sorority that has already given me so much, as well as explore something I would hopefully be doing long-term in the future. 

Our first exchange this semester with Lambda Chi Alpha was one for the books, some saying it was “the best exchange they’ve ever been to!” With my first event successfully behind me, I decided to be creative with Alpha Phi’s next event, coming up this Friday, March 15. Date Night is an exciting night for everyone, especially the new initiates, as it is their first experience asking dates to attend a sorority event. I decided to twist the concept of Date Night and bring some off-campus ideas right here to our Zeta Beta chapter by having our first “Date Dash.” The Alpha Phis know exactly who they are taking, where as the dates have NO idea which Alpha Phi is taking them! Themed “The Perfect Match”, each date was given a specific accessory that they are to wear to the Date Reveal to discover which Alpha Phi will be matching their accessory and taking them to the event. It all goes down Friday night, and we are SO excited!!

Although the position has its stressful moments, as any job does, it has been an awesome experience so far, and has convinced me that this is exactly what I want to do in the future. Seeing everyone, Alpha Phi’s and others, getting excited for our events and having everyone cooperating with me as I try new things is such a rewarding feeling in itself! I try my hardest to keep the girls on their toes, improving what I can improve upon, and making them a part of the process just as much as I am. I am genuinely so excited to see what the future holds for this position and for the sorority as a whole! 

AOE,

Marissa Slavinsky

Class of 2015

Alumna of the Year 2013: Holly Schoenke

We were proud to present the inagural award for Alumna of the Year at our recent Aphiasco event. The Zeta Beta chapter was founded at Loyola Marymount University in 1976. In the past 35 years we have produced many amazing alumni. The alumna we honored this year was no exception. 

Holly Schoenke graduaded from LMU in 2007. While a student at LMU she held the position of director of publicity. She remains active in the Alpha Phi organization by volunteering as Philanthropy adviser at Cal State Long Beach. When asked how Alpha Phi has influenced Holly she says that "Alpha Phi really gave me the conficence to help build my leadership skills, Alpha Phi has really helped me grow into my self and feel like I could always be me". Holly currently owns a wedding an event planning company called Simply Sweet Weddings & Events and is a wedding and event coordinator based in Orange County. 

Holly is currently being featured in Orange County's Locale Magazine. A fun fact about Holly is that she has attended every Aphiasco since her graduation from LMU. Holly, thank you for all of your support to the Alpha Phi organization and we are so proud to call you a sister. 

New Member Process

Today's post is brought to you by one of our pledge moms, Charlotte Laven!

It did not hit me that I was going to be a Pledge Mom to 60 new Alpha Phi members until I heard a stampede of 60 screaming girls on Bid Night. It made me remember that night for me 2 years prior and how excited I was. They were immediately lumped into a new friend group and on their way to joining an amazing sisterhood. I was there to introduce them to that. Over the past 5 weeks myself and The Director of Fraternity Education, Shannon Hearne have been there to guide these 60 new members on their journey as an Alpha Phi. We have gone over the moral and values of being an Alpha Phi and the foundation behind our sisterhood.

            We have met each Sunday so that they actually know the story behind this organization. A sorority especially Alpha Phi is so much more than the socials and formals that everyone sees the pictures of. It was my job to make sure that they have come to know that. During the fourth week of this process, each new member received a Big Sister. This is someone to take them under their wing and really be one of the closest members in the chapter for them. Each girl was mutually paired with her big and received different clues to who she may be during the Big/Little Week. On the final day, they received a clue of wrapping paper that a box would be wrapped in on the night of reveal. Their big would be hiding in the box and once the new member took the box off of them, they could finally be united at big and little.

  As initiation approaches at the end of this week, we are all excited to have these 60 new amazing girls be life long members of Alpha Phi. They are all so excited to be able to wear their letters around campus and show their Alpha Phi pride like no other. It has truly been a blessing to lead these amazing girls on their path to becoming an initiated member of Alpha Phi. I can surely speak on the behalf of our chapter that we are so proud to have such an amazing pledge class represent Alpha Phi.

          

Aphiasco 2013 Recap

Today's post is written by Hannah Comstock, our outgoing VP of Marketing who was the head of organizing this year's annual Aphiasco event. She was assisted by the current VP of Campus Affairs, Alex MacDonald and the Director of Aphiasco, Gabby Little John.

"This year's A-Phi-Asco was extremely special to me for a few reasons. My name is Hannah Comstock and I am the out-going VPM, making A-Phi-Asco 2013 my baby for the past year. 

The largest difference between this and last years event was the move from on campus to off. We have hosted the event off campus in the past so we knew we could definitely handle the challenge. We started scouting for ideal locations during Summer 2013 and eventually found the winner: The Four Points Sheraton LAX. Taking into consideration the fact that we were moving the event back off campus, the A-Phi-Asco team, me, Alex MacDonald and Gabby Littlejohn, knew we had a bit of revamping ahead of us. 

We made sure to make the event as accessible as possible, planning it on LMU parents weekend. We had a inkling that this was going to be crucial to our success. Little did we know it would be the reason we had to extend the event's capacity from 275 to 320 guests! This was the first time in many years we had hosted a sold out event. 

Almost more exciting was out newest addition to our live auction items: the worlds cutest puppy. I first heard of auctioning a puppy at A-Phi-Asco from other chapters mentioning it at our international conference and immediately knew the Zeta Beta chapter absolutely had to jump on this band wagon. We also featured a local artist, Jennifer Main, who painted live during our event. Her final drawing incorporated women's heart health and was an amazing piece of work, going for an amazing $1,700. 

The most inspirational part of the night, though, was the speech given by one of our senior members Jessi Jones. Jessi was kind enough to share her personal experience of how women's heart disease had recently directly affected her family. Jessi brought the causes the Alpha Phi Foundation supports directly home. The entire room had goose bumps as they gave Jessi a standing ovation. 

A-Phi-Asco has always been an event our chapter look forward to: a time to show our friends and family how amazing our chapter is and the philanthropic work that we do. This year, though, A-Phi-Asco's cause was able to truly inspire each and every guest in the room which resulted in the Zeta Beta chapter of Alpha Phi raising over $45,000 for women's heart health and furthering awareness for women's heart disease. It's safe to say this was one of the best A-Phi-Asco's yet!"

E-Board Spotlight: VP Marketing Leilani Mahoney

This week's E-Board Spotlight comes from our VP Marketing, Leilani Mahoney!

As a sophomore, I was uncertain about running for an executive board position but received a lot of great support and encouragement from my sisters. I've always loved the social media and apparel aspects of Alpha Phi, and ever since I became VP Marketing I have had the best time making shirts and using facebook, instagram, and twitter to document all of our fun events!

So far this semester we have had an amazing recruitment where our members received agendas with all of our events, Alpha Phi backpacks, and a new twist of slouchy sweatshirts as bid night shirts! Everyone loved their new Alpha Phi swag, especially our bid night sweatshirt designed by our awesome New Member Educator. Spring is filled with so many events such as Big Little Reveals, Date Night, Exchanges that we are hoping to get some unique apparel for!

I have learned so much already from my position and gained a lot of experience with marketing for the future. Please look forward to all of the fun photos, apparel, and updates on all of our social media!

Alpha Phi Love & Mine,
Leilani Mahoney
Class of 2015

What Alpha Phis Did Over Break

This winter break was a whole month long, so some of the Alpha Phis decided to take advantage of the time off to get together! Everyone starts to miss each other after being away for too long. Senior, Sam Abrahams, planned a little Christmas party for all the girls who live in Southern California. It was at her home in Irvine and we ate delicious food, played games, and even had a white elephant gift exchange. We had so much fun!

Alpha Phis all over California met up in various places for New Years Eve parties, including San Francisco, Tahoe, and Los Angeles. 

Aphis in Seattle!

Winter Break was a lot of fun and a great time to relax. It was awesome that some of the girls had the opportunity to hang out over break. However, all the Alpha Phis are so excited to go back to school and see everyone again!

Xoxo

Lisa Alexander

Director of Media 

Alumna of the Month: Michele Nasreen Askari

This month we are featuring one of our chapter's first members as Alumni of the Month. Michele Nasreen Askari graduated from LMU in 1980 and was one of our first presidents. 

Tell us about a memorable experience while at LMU
I traveled with the LMU Men's Basketball Team as a color commentator on KXLU Radio- it was quite an experience! Women in sportscasting roles were still quite rare in that era.

Tell us about being one of the first Alpha Phi's at LMU
Sororities were still brand new, but fraternities on campus were very supportive in helping us get established. We relied on great advisors who came from USC and Long Beach State, and interacted with the chapters at USC and UCLA. My initiation took place at the USC Alpha Phi house. I worked at a restaurant in the Marina which is now the Cheesecake Factory. Several of the guys who worked at "Chuck's Steak House" were (cute!) UCLA frat boys, so I used them as resources for date nights and exchanges.

Did any of your experiences in Alpha Phi help you in professional life?
I am a Director of Strategic Accounts for the corporate office of Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, and yes, juggling classes, a part-time job, an internship and sorority life taught me how to time-manage and prioritize deadlines, which I apply daily in my life. Recruitment was training ground for my role today when I need to meet strangers and make immediate favorable impressions. In sales we all have what is referred to as our "elevator speech"- if you were to only have the length of an elevator ride to explain to someone what it is you do, sell, endorse, what are the KEY items you would include.

Any additional information you would like to share about Alpha Phi?
One does not realize when in school how wonderful it is to have Alpha Phi sisterhood for a lifetime of connections! I am affiliated with the Chicago Alumnae Chapter and have met a great network of women of all ages here in the city. It is also fun in the workplace to discover when someone you work with is a sister, as well as connecting with sisters via Facebook.

Michele was gracious enough to share these pictures with us. We love seeing Alpha Phis in the past! 

Michele with her brother's family