A Summer to Remember by Isabella Cunningham

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.”  -Henry Miller

The end of the school year is always a bittersweet time; everyone itching for finals to be over while eagerly waiting for summer days to officially start. But for me, this end was especially bittersweet since I had made the decision to spend the summer in New York City, living in NYU dorms and doing an internship at a production studio in Soho. Being abroad as I was in the fall made me appreciate the genuine and amazing friends I’ve been blessed to know at LMU, while I was gone and especially when I came back. Therefore, coming back to LMU in January, I was very happy to return to these incredible, long-lasting friends. But too quickly, the semester was over.

In May, two days after school ended, I was fortunate enough to travel to Bali with my mom for two weeks. I had been to Bali once before when I was four, so naturally I barely remembered anything besides getting a $5 dollar massage on the beach by four Balinese women who giggled as they each took a limb of my body to massage because I was so tiny.

What I quickly learned is that those $5 massages still exist and the people are just as friendly and warm as I remember. My two weeks were spent exploring the city of Ubud,

biking through the remote towns in the surrounding countryside, and scuba diving at the neighboring island of Gili Trawangan. The people I met and the things I saw on that trip will vividly remain with me forever. The Balinese people are the most amazing and admirable people in the world (or what I’ve seen of it). Hindu by religion, their culture is centered around being the best version of oneself possible, believing in karma and helping and supporting one another no matter the age, job, or social class. The Balinese people welcomed us with open arms, going above and beyond what is customary to make us feel comfortable, giving us more than just material gifts but the most important gift of unconditional hospitality and welcome. For instance, when we left our hotel for only three days to go to Gili T, we came back to find hand-picked flowers arranged into a sign that read, ‘WELCOME HOME’ on our bedroom floor. To them, the people they meet and the friends they make become family, and family is all that matters in life.

Being able to experience an environment of unconditional love and acceptance with such inspiring people is the most refreshing part of my last few months. It was a trip I will never forget and I hope that everyone is able to experience what I saw and did at one point in their lives, because it’ll change his/her perspective on life and what matters most, without a doubt.

Less than a week after I returned home to San Francisco from Bali, I packed my bags and flew out to New York City, where I started my summer internship and moved into my NYU dorm in Union Square.

Since I barely knew anyone in New York, it was a blessing to have two former LMU and Alpha Phi sisters, Jordan and Clare, already living there. These women inspire me, and were my saviors in those first days I arrived and felt like a lost kid at Disneyland. Clare is my grand-big and has remained one of my best friends despite her having graduated and moved to New York two years ago. Upon my arrival, she immediately dropped everything to help me move in, take me to dinner and make me feel at home. Jordan, on the other hand, has been a great inspiration to me (and thousands of others, I’m sure). A passionate health enthusiast and blogger, she was part of some extraordinary events these past two months, and I was able to also support her in some of these awesome experiences.  I saw first-hand how amazing the people I’ve been lucky to know from LMU are. These girls made my summer transition to New York not only easy, but also so much fun. I know they will remain friends of mine forever.

These two months in New York have also been a total whirlwind, and I’ve met some incredible individuals and had some of the best experiences of my life. This city is wonderful and has so much to offer. You find yourself busy all the time. Literally all the time. It was a big and scary decision to move out here for the summer and saying goodbye to my best friends again seemed crazy, but life is all about exploring and discovering everything this vast and complex world of ours has to offer, and sharing those experiences with the people who lift you up and enable you to become a better person. And it doesn’t matter if they’re right there with you or a Skype session away. My friends back at home and I, as I like to say, are always together, never apart, maybe in distance, but never in heart!

I absolutely cannot WAIT to get back to LA and be back with all the amazing people I know! 

Emilee Theno: A Reflection from the Emerging Leaders Institute

This past week, I attended the Alpha Phi Emerging Leaders Institute at Butler University. The conference was absolutely incredible and it is by far one of my favorite memories from being in Alpha Phi so far. As cheesy as it sounds, ELI really showed me that joining a sorority is really something that is not just four years but for life. I attended the conference with 49 other girls from all across the United States and Canada, and it was amazing to see how that even though we were all from different chapters, we all bonded so quickly with each other. The first day that we were there, we went to a team building challenge course, and we all had so much fun! It was a great way for us to get to know each other quickly because we had to really depend on one another during all of the activities, and we really became a cohesive support system throughout our time at the challenge course. It was so wonderful getting to hear about other chapters all around the nation because everyone had so many different ideas. I gained so much valuable knowledge from hearing about other girls’ experiences within their own chapters and I made so many wonderful friendships throughout the entire week. 
At the conference, we participated in lectures and discussions on how to refine our leadership skills not only within our chapters, but also throughout all aspects of our lives. We learned about listening skills, how to best deal with confrontation, how to best use our own values within our own leadership roles, and many other topics. We also had a question and answer session with alumnae, which was definitely one of my favorite parts of the week. I really saw how the friendships they built within Alpha Phi, as well as the values that Alpha Phi teaches its members carries on past college graduation. ELI is by far one of my most favorite memories of joining Alpha Phi so far, and I came back with so many great memories and knowledge to share with my own chapter at LMU.

Advice From Our Seniors!

We are going to miss this year's senior class so much! With graduation just a couple days away, a few of our seniors got sentimental and shared some advice to all our Phi's. Here's what they said:

"Branch out. Get involved with whatever you're interested in as early as you can! Greek life is fun but there are a lot of other opportunities to get involved at LMU as well, so take advantage!" - Maria Dalasio

"Just do it - do it all! If you think anything has a possibility of being even a smidge of fun, just do it because 4 years really isn't as much time as you think. AOE<3" - Quincy Rae Felipe

"When you look back on your four years of college the most important and special memories you have are the ones spent with your best friends doing the most crazy things (usually after midnight). So make sure to have a lots of these unforgettable experiences and leave the sleeping for after graduation." - Syndel Knoll

"This sounds cliche but college goes by faster than you can even imagine so spend as much time as possible with the friends you love. Don't be afraid to try new things and meet new people; life is all about taking risks, cuz if you're not living on the edge you're taking up too much space :)” - Lisa Alexander

"Say yes to everything. You can sleep when your dead.” - Mackenzie Menotti

"Just have fun and do what makes YOU happy! Live it up and remember that Gatorade cures all :)" - Alexandra MacDonald

"GET INVOLVED! I can't imagine what my time here at LMU would have been like if I hadn't been involved in things outside of Alpha Phi. It allows you to gain experience and make connections with new and different people. Plus, it is always great to add extra curricular and leadership positions to your resume!” - Michelle Eriksson

"Alpha phi has taught me to live in the moment. Don't sweat the small stuff, celebrate each little victory, laugh every day, and don't be afraid to sparkle." - Brianna Bruns

We love you seniors!

Some Parting Words From Aaron Our Ivy Man

Roughly a year ago from today, I was presented with an opportunity that has proved to be one of the most memorable of my college experience.  As a member of the LMU Men's Soccer Team and a brother of the Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity, I did not think I could gain a better collegiate experience.  I was quite wrong once the wonderful ladies of the Zeta Beta Chapter of Alpha Phi at LMU elected me to become their Ivy Man for the 2013-2014 academic year.

At the beginning of my stint as Ivy Man, I truly did not know what to expect or how to act.  It can be quite intimidating walking into a room filled with 200 women and know exactly what to do or say.  As expected, it was intimidating and I indeed stumbled a bit.  But, with time I was able to contain the nerves and do my best to make the year one that we would never forget.  

Although my time is officially done, whether it be the hours of LipSync practices, the opportunity to create power points "roasting" members of the chapter, or just simply enjoying the times, it will be something that I never forget. The amount of new friends that I have made, friendships that have become deeper, and the memories that were created, is something that I will carry with me for the rest of my life and will forever thankful for.  

Thank you all for making this an unforgettable experience.  I cannot wait to carry on the friendships that I have made for many years to come!

AOE, Ivy Man

Spring Update!

With spring semester already half way through, we have a ton of exciting news to post about!  Here are a few blurbs about what we have been up to the last few months! It covers everything from rush, to big little reveal, to Aphiasco!

Family Time! Zeta Beta has been busy at work this semester growing our families! Starting off strong, we worked hard in January to make spring recruitment a success! We had so much fun and in the end, we got an AMAZING new class with 59 beautiful new members. Since then, we have loved getting to know all the new phis and helping them find a home here in Alpha Phi.

Next up were Presents in February.  This special ceremony was a great way to have family and friends see the special bonds being made between the new members and their new sisters. Each new member was paired with an active who spoke about them and told the chapter and parents a little bit more about our new sisters and the experiences so far in the sorority.  It was a great way to get to know more personal things about each of the new members from a fun and loving speaker.  These presentations really did made the new members feel special and loved!

Last but definitely not least, we had the wonderful celebration of Big Little Reveal!!! For the reveal, the Bigs wrapped themselves in wrapping paper with their Little's name on it and waited for their Little to come and unwrap them! It was such a fun night filled with new Bigs and Littles, g-bigs, gg-bigs, and even some ggg-bigs! It was an event that brought whole families together to welcome their newest member! We can't wait for initiation next week so our girls can finally wear their letters with pride!

APHIASCO! Our annual philanthropy event, Aphiasco, was such a success this year! Thanks to the skillful planning of our sister Alexandra McDonald, our event ran smoothly and raised over $40,000 in one night! It was great to come together as a chapter and bring our families to support a cause that is so close to all of us. For our event, a very special guest speaker joined us and shed a new light on heart disease.
(Check out this link to see our special guest in action! http://youtube.com/watch?v=R55e-uHQna0)
Max Paige, the 7 year-old boy who plays mini Darth Vader in the Volkswagen commercial, was born with a congenial heart difect and has been in and out of hospitals ever since.  He has had multiple surguries, and most recently underwent an invasive surgery to replace a valve in his heart.  As a guest speaker, he and his family gave a face to the cause we work so hard to support.  Max showed us how much of an impact Alpha Phi can make by donating funds to cardiac research and hospitals that support cardiac care.  With Max's help and the help of generous donors and families, the thousands of dollars araised at Aphiasco will go to heart research and to help children like Max afford the treatment they need.

Rush 2014!

  Presents! 

              Big Little Reveal! 

Aphiasco with Max!-

Courtney Krail: Director of New Member Education

When I first joined Alpha Phi there were two girls that made my experience exciting and comfortable. At the time, I barely knew who they were, but I looked up to them in so many ways because they were so inviting and taught us everything we needed to know about our sorority. They were our Pledge Moms. When I sat there and watched them, I knew I wanted to take on that position and I couldn’t wait to give a group of girls the same experience they gave me. Earlier this year, elections took place and I knew Director of New Member Education would be the perfect position for me. In becoming a “Pledge Mom” along with my good friend, Sarah Davidson, I knew there would be a crazy amount of preparation and teaching in store, but I have been having so much fun with all the activities and sisterhood events we are planning for the incoming new members. As education majors, Sarah and I love teaching and getting people excited to learn. Pledge Moms are given the responsibility to bring in the new members and teach them what Alpha Phi is all about. We cannot wait to welcome these girls with open arms and start getting to know each one of them as soon as we can. We look forward to teaching this spring’s new pledge class all of the great things Alpha Phi stands for and what being a part of this sorority truly means. Recruitment is a crazy and exciting time, and we are so excited for all the fun and commotion around the corner. We love Alpha Phi so much and we cannot wait to get the new members excited about the amazing sorority they have joined!

Pledge Moms Sarah and Courtney