Welcoming PC '14 Into the Zeta Family

A sunflower tunnel to welcome the new Zetas!

The beginning of a new school year means more to the Kappa Chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha than the blistering Texas heat, the awkward moment of still getting lost around campus even though you’ve been here for years, and the rejoicing of college friends after what seemed like an endless summer. It is also the time of the year when we are fortunate enough to add new members into our chapter. This semester, we were lucky enough to call 70 new beautiful girls our sisters as they pledged their loyalty to Texas royalty on bid day. Thanks to the hard working New Member Team of Courtney Groos, Erin Eberle, and Hayley Onofrey, the newest members of Zeta are set for a fun year ahead of them.

Following bid day events at the Zeta House that included sunflowers and crowns, a photo booth with funny props, lots of food to eat, and more, PC ’14 set forth on a barge to Lake Austin with the Executive Board and the entire New Member Team for a night of fun and bonding with their new sisters. When asked about the barge, Assistant New Member Coordinator, Hayley Onofrey said, “It was incredible being on the barge on bid day with all of the new members. We had been preparing for them all spring semester and summer, so being able to hangout with them for the first time and share meaningful conversations was really rewarding.” After a night of getting-to-know-your-sister games and an entire barge-wide dance party, bid day proved to be a successful taste of what was to come as Zetas for PC ’14.

PC '14 Maria Gil, Elise Kailin, Abbey DeVinventis, Kate Gothing 

Days after bid day, the New Member Team continued with their momentum of sisterhood bonding by setting up a surprise sisterhood event at the house that included an entire cupcake bar where you could choose your own toppings for your cupcake along with a very personal favorite for Zeta girls—face paint! This event hadn’t been done before and proved the hard work the New Member Team has been putting into their planning.

An upcoming sisterhood event is the New Member Retreat, which will take place at the Hyatt Lost Pines where the girls will be crafting, lounging by the pool, floating down a lazy river, and tons of other activities to help the girls get to know each other in their pledge class. Hayley Onofrey stated, “We are aiming for all the girls to really get to know each other and not just form cliques. We want them to reach out to every girl in the pledge class.”

Bonding time at the Zeta house, with face paint of course!

Following the New Member Retreat, on October 2^nd will be an annual favorite—Big/Little Reveal! Assistant New Member Coordinator, Erin Eberle said, “I am most excited about all the big/little events that are planned for the new pledge class. The big/little chairs changed up a lot of things this year and I am super excited to watch the new pledge class have so much fun at all the events. They’ll get to meet a bunch of the older girls, which I think is a great way to enhance the sisterhood throughout the chapter.” The Big/Little Committee includes PC ’13 Madi Donham and Mackenzie Benton.

PC '12 Ashton Groves with her little Ali

Shortly after Big/Little Reveal, PC ’14 will go through initiation on October 25^th. This will be an exciting moment for not only the entire New Member Team but also the entire chapter, as we will officially welcome the newest pledge class to be our sisters. Hayley Onofrey concluded: “Not only are they great girls already, but I know they have so much potential to be even more than that. They have good things coming their way.”

ZLAM,

PC '13 Laura Welch

 

International Royalty! Zetas Studying Abroad over the summer

Welcome home Texas Zetas! 

We hope you are as excited to hear about our Zeta sisters and their experiences studying abroad as we are! Check out all of the amazing opportunities and exploring they did this summer in their responses below. 

Rachel Miller- PC'12

Alumni Relations Director

Why did you decide to study abroad?

Spending a summer in Paris has been a dream of mine since my first French class in 2007 but I would have never anticipated how incredible of an experience Studying Abroad would be. This summer I spent 9 weeks studying abroad in Paris! The program I chose was CIEE Paris Summer Language and Culture, and I chose this specific program because it allowed me to finish my Minor in French! 

What were some of your favorite parts about your experience studying abroad?

I also opted to live with a host family because I really wanted to immerse myself with the French culture. While most people have a scared reaction about living with a host family, I had a great experience! While neither of the parents spoke English it was a fun challenge to truly have to learn to communicate with them. While in Paris I took cooking classes, tried escargot, went to the French Open, visited vineyards, chateaus and much more! During my 9 weeks I also was fortunate enough to be able to travel all around France and to Munich and even Barcelona! It was so much fun getting to travel and meet up with my other friends studying abroad in different cities! I highly encourage everyone to study abroad and truly immerse themselves in another culture!

Jeana Thompson- PC'13

Why did you decide to study abroad?
I decided to go abroad because I feel like experiences like that truly shape a person. Experiencing different parts of the world expands ones perspective in amazing ways. There are some things you learn abroad that you can't learn anywhere else. EVERYONE needs to study abroad at some point in their lives! With that in mind, I traveled all the way to Hong Kong.

What were some of your favorite parts about your experience studying abroad?
My favorite memory was the view from the top of the Great Wall of China. After hours of intense quad burning and sweat, the view absolutely took my breath away. There is nothing like it in America and to be able to see something so beautiful was truly amazing. It created a new-found appreciation in me for the beauty of other countries and for the history behind them.


Jackie Waterland-PC'11
Treasurer

Why did you decide to study abroad?
It has always been my dream to travel and immerse myself into different cultures. I decided to go abroad this summer when I found out the McCombs School of Business offered the opportunity to take an internship while also getting to live in the exciting city of Barcelona. I couldn't believe how perfect it was!

What were some of your favorite parts about your experience studying abroad?
My favorite memory was when I visited a friend in Scotland to attend a music festival called T in the Park. I've been to a few festivals but I had never experienced anything like this. The grounds were huge and over 85,000 people attended each day. I got to see headliners like the Artic Monkeys and discovered a new favorite band, Rudimental. But what I enjoyed most about my time there was how incredibly friendly the Scottish were. From the moment I arrived at the airport every single person I talked to was open and genuinely kind. It left such a last impression. I can't wait to go back!



Maddy McGlamery- PC'11
Judicial Director

Maddy (left) and her little Lauren Sanders (right)

Why did you decide to study abroad?

I had decided to go abroad long before I actually went. It had been a dream of mine since high school and the opportunity finally presented itself the summer before my senior year! I chose to go abroad because I have a desire to see everything there is to see out there. I wanted to expand my worldview because sometimes we forget that although our sorority and friends are a big part of our lives, they hold only a very small place in a really big world. I wanted to go abroad to put that in perspective for myself and push myself out of the comfort zone of home. I also believe that learning about other cultures and gaining respect for the ways they differ from our own is a worthwhile endeavor and that in doing so, there is a lot to be learned from those cultures. And that’s not even to mention how many cool people you meet when you’re abroad!

What were some of your favorite parts about your experience studying abroad?

A favorite memory of mine from my summer abroad comes from the times I spent sitting with good friends on the Seine River in a spot overlooking the Notre Dame cathedral at sunset. We visited this spot frequently during the time we studied in Paris and enjoyed quite a few bottles of wine (we are all of age!) as well as a multitude of card games and good conversations there. Once, some French guys our age came along and asked to join our card game. We obliged and they sat and taught us some fun phrases in French as we played and chatted. Although that location on the Seine River was prime and the view was spectacular, the time I spent with those friends there taught me the lesson that who you are traveling with is much more important that the destination to which you are traveling – both in travel and in life.

Rachel Robillard- PC'11

Why did you decide to study abroad?

When brainstorming what I wanted to do over the summer, I knew I wanted to earn course credit or gain journalism experience through work samples. My journalism professor, Dr. Kris Wilson, encouraged me to apply to his journalism maymester study abroad class to earn both course credit and work samples. I am an aspiring world traveler, so it did not take long for me to apply and commit.

The UT Journalism class was called Reporting on our Changing Environment in one of the most exotic, isolated, and ecologically diverse places on Earth: Australia. This class operated as an intensive reporting and writing class with the goal of producing content across all media platforms. Armed with digital cameras, audio recorders, computers and notepads in the company of scientific experts and field guides, I understood the concepts of scientific certainty and uncertainty, the science of climate change and effectively communicating that science, and the elements and structures to good science/ environment storytelling. 

Check out my Australian work samples at www.rachelrobillard.com

What were some of your favorite parts about your experience studying abroad?

I knew I had to scuba dive at the Great Barrier Reef while in Australia. It's silly not to! That's the reason why I earned my scuba diving license in Australia. Experiencing the world down under (literally) was the most breathtaking thing I've ever done. Off the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef around Lady Elliot Island, I saw mantarays, sea turtles and even a black tip reef shark! Documenting the underwater wildlife with my GoPro was the beautiful. The mantarays came so close to my diving group, that I was able to distinguish the species. My diving instructor taught us that there are three types of mantarays, which I did not know beforehand. I am so, very glad I got my scuba diving license to experience the Great Barrier Reef and the world down under.

If you would like to learn more about my experience abroad in Australia, visit my personal blog: http://australiawithrachrobes.blogspot.com.

Kelsey McGlamery-PC'13

Assistant Treasurer

Why did you decide to study abroad? 
I was blessed this summer with the opportunity to study abroad in Edinburgh, Scotland. I decided to study abroad because I knew I wanted to get credits this summer, so why not do it while enjoying another country?! It was also a great chance to step outside of my comfort zone and to meet cute Scottish boys!

What were some of your favorite parts about your experience studying abroad?
My favorite memory was when I took an hour train ride to a near by town to go bungee jumping with guys I had met from my program. I was abnormally excited for bungee jumping... until I was up on a platform standing 150 feet over a river. Despite my fears, we all ended up loving it and it was truly an experience of a lifetime. The friends I made abroad made the experience remarkable and I would highly recommend studying abroad if given the opportunity!