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.