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!"