How did you first hear about/get connected with Greek InterVarsity when you came to campus?
InterVarsity was the first community I was connected with as a Freshman. We didn't have any sort of Greek ministry at the time, and when I decided I wanted to rush that fall, everyone was super supportive! One week after receiving my bid to Chi Omega I went to Greek Conference in Long Island. It was there that I really got connected with Greek InterVarsity.
Share a little bit about your faith experience coming into college
I decided to take my faith seriously as a Junior in high school, and was actively involved in my church and youth group. Coming into college, I knew I wanted to be a part of a Christian Fellowship and was introduced to InterVarsity by a friend.
What do you love most about being Greek on your campus?
I love the sense of community that being Greek gives me. Our campus is big-- but I can go anywhere on campus and run into someone I know. Its really fun because whether I'm in class, walking through the student union at lunch time, or working out at the gym- I will always run into one of my sisters or someone I know from another house. I also absolutely love my house. I have met my best friend, my amazing big and little; I honestly couldn't ask for a better group of girls to call my sisters.
How did you go from being involved to becoming a leader within Greek IV?
Since we didn't have any sort of Greek ministry on my campus- I was developed as a leader within our multi-ethnic chapter. I spent my freshman year learning leadership skills within a community group that was held in my freshman dorm. The more involved I became in InterVarsity, the more and more I saw the need on campus for Jesus and began to take ownership of the mission of IV. The next fall I decided to go and start a community group in the Greek system!
Any cool stories from the last semester about what God has done in your chapter or on your campus?
Its been really cool over the past year to see how God is building Greek IV at URI. This past fall, there was a freshman who expressed interest in being a part of a Greek community group, so myself and another leader knocked on her dorm room door and invited her to get coffee and hang out with us. A week after we met her, she went through formal recruitment, ended up joining Chi Omega, and went on to make a decision to follow Jesus at Greek Conference later that semester! Now she is training to be a leader and is actively involved in what God is doing in the Greek system at URI.
What books, experiences, events or individuals have been key in shaping your leadership?
Greek Conference my freshman year was definitely a pivotal experience in shaping my leadership. It was there that my eyes were opened to how much the Greek community really does need Jesus-- and was able to see the positive impact that Greek IV has made on different campuses in my region. I remember leaving the conference thinking "I want to see something like this happen in the Greek system at URI!"
More recently, last June, I spent a month in the Dominican Republic with InterVarsity. That experience shaped my leadership tremendously because it really showed me how true leadership comes through serving others.
