Champions are Readers!

This semester Maryland Gamma has been busy with our philanthropic efforts, including the literacy program CAR (which stands for Champions are Readers). The program takes place at Govans Elementary School, located close to campus. Read about it through the eyes of sophomore Emily G.

VP Philanthropy Marcella Lunn
showing off some of the program's books

"For me, being in a sorority is much more than hanging out with friends, meeting new people, and getting t-shirts. Being a part of Pi Phi means I get to give back to the community, which is especially important going to school in Baltimore. One way our chapter gets to give back is through a month-long literacy program called CAR (Champions Are Readers). Each week we go to Govans Elementary school, not far from campus, and engage with two different classes on reading and word exercises.
I’ve been working with a few other Pi Phis in a third grade classroom. Each week we read aloud from a book – we’ve been doing Magic Treehouse! – and then use the Pi Beta Phi First Book workbook to fill out sentence structure, vocabulary, and other worksheets. CAR’s main purpose is to encourage students to read at least fifteen minutes a day. Our purpose, as volunteers, is to show them that reading can be fun, too!
At the end of the program, each child gets a book to bring home. We have one week left – and I’m so excited to see the looks on their faces when they choose their new book! The students have been incredibly animated when they take turns reading aloud and working together on the activities. One kid liked it so much that he wouldn’t let me take the book back! It’s been extremely rewarding watching the kids come out of their shells more and more each week. I’ll be sad when the program ends, but who knows? Maybe I’ll end up coming back and volunteering again. And there’s always another CAR next fall!"

Chapter members

Pi Phi Summer Days; Allison

Speaking of cool summer internships, junior Allison B. had probably one of the coolest of them all. Allison worked as a Ad Production intern at Collegehumor!

"This summer I interned at CollegeHumor and it was a dream come true! I've been a huge fan of the website for years now, so it was surreal to be working in the same office as all of my favorite actors/writers. I was an Ad Production intern, so I worked alongside the Ad Production team to organize and coordinate the ad campaigns that run on the site. Although this may seem like this is the serious business side of CollegeHumor, I guarantee you it is not (considering the frequent nerf gun wars that took place around me). I learned a lot over my 2 1/2 months working and it was especially interesting seeing the back end of how a website runs and is funded. In addition to learning and working, I met some truly great people. Everyone I met at CollegeHumor (interns and employees) was so nice and welcoming. I became really close with all the interns and the employees did an awesome job of incorporating us into the tight-knit office community. I had so much fun and this internship was overall a great experience!"

"In addition to the everyday awesomeness of working in the CollegeHumor office, some of the extra special highlights include:

-Going to Governor's Ball (a music festival) with my fellow interns and our bosses

-Being an extra in a Jake and Amir sketch!!! Watch it here!

-Working backstage at CollegeHumor's annual Offline comedy show

-Intern Appreciation Karaoke Night"

Pi Phi Summer; Emily

Our sisters sure do some wild things, literally! Our biology-inclined sisters have been doing some fun things. We last heard from senior Brittany, who lived in the rainforest studying biodiversity. Now we'll hear from senior Emily K., who spent her summer working around some slightly less wild animals at the National Zoo in DC.

"This summer I had the amazing opportunity to work at the Smithsonian's National Zoo. No, I didn't play with the pandas or feed the lions. My zoo experience wasn't exactly what you'd expect. I was the web intern in the communications department, which was a fascinating and fun opportunity to explore my interest in field of science communications. I worked on everything from researching zoo history to developing content for our animal Olympic-themed social media campaign. What I loved the most was how unique and strange the day-to-day events and challenges were. Working with animals is unpredictable. Every birth is a media sensation, especially for any of the dozens of endangered species that call the Zoo their home. The Zoo is passionate about conservation and research. They're doing some pretty amazing things for wildlife. It was rewarding to be part of the team that gets to help educate and inspire the public about all of that work. Yes, there were some privileges. I got to help socialize a kiwi bird, go behind the scenes with the Asian elephants, and much more! Plus, I spent my lunch breaks hanging out by the adorable cheetah cubs or Asian-small clawed otters. It definitely wasn't your average summer internship."

Along with that, Emily traveled to Eugene, Oregon to volunteer in the US Track & Field Olympic Trials.

"Volunteering in the trials was an absolute blast. As a track athlete, it was amazing to be around so many people who are enthusiastic about the sport. The trials themselves were very exciting. Watching elite athletes go for their Olympic dreams was inspiring to say the least."

Pi Phi Summer Days; Brittany

The sisters of Maryland Gamma seemed to be trotting across the globe this summer! Last week we heard about Bonnie and her Italian adventure. This week we're hearing about Brittany T., who spent a month in Honduras living in the rainforest studying biodiversity.

Brittany traveled to Honduras with Operation Wallacea, an organization that works toward conservation through various research projects throughout the globe. She learned about biodiversity monitoring techniques for flora and fauna of the tropical rain forests in Honduras.

Brittany mastering jungle living.

How cool is that?

Pi Phi Summer Days; Bonnie

It's August, which means in just one month the ladies of Maryland Gamma will be returning to Hopkins for another year of sisterhood and memories. It seems like summer has flown by! Our Pi Phis have been busy with a wide variety of jobs, internship, and travel. For the next few weeks we'll be highlighting a few women and their exciting summers.

Junior Bonnie E. took her passion for archaeology on the road...all the way to Touscany, Italy.

"The field school I attended was created to study a Classical Archaeology site located just outside of Sienna. I knew it would be a life changing experience because my time there would decide whether I wanted to continue with my archaeology major or find a new career path. However, I loved the hard work it took to excavate. I enjoyed learning to use a pick-axe, and working in the Italian sun all day. Most of all, I loved reaffirming what I had known all along, I wanted to discover the artifacts that would be displayed in museums around the world. "

After a whirlwind adventure digging up the past, Bonnie returned to her native state of Alaska and hit the great outdoors.

"While at home I like to stay fit by hiking and running in local charity races. My favorite place to hike is called Mt. Baldy, because from the summit you can see for miles. To keep up my running I participate in different 5k races that support my favorite charities. These include ones that raise money for breast cancer research and the special olympics."

We're Back! Becoming a Pi Phi, by Eleni P.

MD Gamma's blog has been on hiatus for a bit...but now that the semester has ended we're back! We can't wait to share all the exciting things our chapter was up to!
Newly initiated member (an soon to be regular on the blog) Eleni P. writes a fun post about her initiation.



INITIATION: OFFICIALLY A CLASSY PI PHI LADY
By Eleni P.

“DOES ANYONE HAVE A WHITE DRESS I CAN BORROW. SERIOUSLY.” This question, asked more and more frantically as the night of April 13th progressed, might seem arbitrary and overly fashion-oriented to some—but to Pi Phi new members, it was a direly serious subject. Preparations for initiation, the final step in our process to becoming sisters, had been going on for months. After what seemed like an actual eon, April 14th rolled around, and suddenly I found myself surrounded by hordes of ecstatic young women clutching wine carnations on what had to have been the most beautiful day of the entire year. We’d just finished initiation. Initiation truly sealed the deal and made obscure facts about Pi Phi’s origins and dragging myself to new member meetings in the middle of my Sunday homework sessions completely and utterly worth it.

After initiation finished and we’d exploited Sasha’s camera for pictures as much as we possibly could, we changed into vastly more comfortable shoes and re-gathered for Cookie Shine about an hour later. Cookie shine is essentially the best thing ever. Each new member passes around a cookie cake, says something they love about Pi Phi, and then commences to awkwardly attempt ripping of a hunk of said cake. Inevitable laughter and sentimentality fully included. After we had our way with the cookie cake, all of the newly initiated sisters battled for piles of candy that were ever so conveniently laid out in the center of the room. I did it for glory, honor, and the everlasting moral value of jollyranchers. I myself got overly competitive and ended up with a massive bag of goodies that I could never actually finish, but luckily my fam was there to pick up the slack. INITIATION WAS AWESOME. COOKIE SHINE WAS AWESOME. YAY PI PHI!

Big-Little Reveal!

New member Emily G. talks about Reveal Week and the excitement surrounding finding out her big!

Reveal week started for me Monday morning, when I got a text from a random number instructing me to be out of my room from 6-7:30 pm. I was jittery for the rest of the day – I kept reading and rereading the text message, hoping some clue would stand out so I could figure out whom my big sister was. At 7:30 I came home to find my bed covered in balloons, candy, and cards welcoming me to the family. The rest of the week went on in the same way; each morning I got a text or an email with instructions for the day (when I should be in or out of my room, where to go and when, etc.), and I was continuously surprised by the presents. My big and grand-big made incredible efforts so that I would feel welcome and loved. As each day got closer and closer to reveal, I couldn’t take it anymore! I needed to figure out who they were!

Shannon L (little), Jenna M(big) and Emily G (little)!

On Friday evening, all the girls of my new member class gathered in one room. Meanwhile, the chapter assembled in the room across the hall. We were so excited and antsy – we were so close to finding out our bigs! When everyone had arrived, we went into the other room. It was full of bags and boxes and had a curtain pulled across the center of the room. Our bigs were lined up behind the curtain, and all we could see were their legs, clad in pajamas. I found the box with my name on it, put on the pajama pants inside, and went to stand next to the matching legs! This was also how I found my twin (I knew I had a twin, I just didn’t know who it was). That was so exciting in itself. After a minute or two, the bigs pulled down the curtain and revealed themselves! There was chaos – everyone was screaming, laughing, and hugging. The new families gathered on blankets, in their matching pajamas, eating s’mores and chatting. I don’t think there is a better way to do reveal; our chapter had just the right amount of suspense and surprise – and a ton of fun!

Already, I’m in love with my Pi Beta Phi family. I see my big almost daily, but when we’re not together we’re texting or talking over Facebook. My twin and I are getting closer and closer, and I can’t forget about my grandbig! Although she’s a senior and super busy, she’s the best. I couldn’t have asked for a more amazing family, and I know they will all be in my life forever.

Pi Phi bring T.A.K.E. to JHU!

VP Philanthrop Marcella talks about T.A.K.E Self-Defense Training

Our chapter had a special opportunity to bring this really excellent self-defense course to campus this semester. TAKE is a program designed to teach women how to protect themselves against potential dangerous situations, especially important in today’s society and for us as college-aged women in the city of Baltimore. In addition to teaching us some really valuable skills we got to spend more time with all of our amazing new members! It was a great bonding experience for our chapter and we were even lucky enough to have some of the Johns Hopkins Faculty and Staff join us. TAKE was also where we held our annual Fraternity Day of Service, raising money for the Pi Beta Phi Friendship Fund and collecting books for a 6th grade classroom at Civitas Middle School. Overall, it was a really fun experience, and I am so happy that our chapter was able to participate in it!

PPL&M Marcella Lunn, VP Philanthropy

Blog-ception

MD Gamma not only has it's own chapter blog, but also a few members who write their own blogs! From perfumes to Scottish adventures, these angels are busy typing away. Check out some of the things our girls write about!

Christina W. (our previous VP Communications and creator of this blog) has "Bad Communication", a blog about television, culture, and her favorite things.
http://temporarylikeachilles.wordpress.com/

Arielle W.  runs a perfume blog, The Scents of Self.
http://thescentsofself.com/

Two of our sisters abroad have blogs.
Pearl A. write about her journeys in Scotland at http://pearlinthelandofthescots.wordpress.com/ and Natasha P. writes about Italy at http://natalia-initalia.tumblr.com/ .

And last but certainly not least, we have our very own anonymous blogger! A member of MD Gammas is creating an online memory book to share with her future little. She writes about Pi Phi's values, sorority stereotypes and shares all the adorable crafts that her lucky future little will get! Can't wait to find out who the girl behind the computer is.
http://pibetaphinestlittle.tumblr.com/

For other blogs by Pi Phis outside of our chapter, check out http://piphiblogs.blogspot.com/, a directory of blogs run by Pi Phis!

Put them all together, you have a Pi Phi miss! Formal Recruitment 2012!

Formal Recruitment has finally ended and MD Gamma is excited to welcome a new group of beautiful angels to our chapter! After a week of long hours of standing in heels, crafting until dawn and a whole lot of singing, we're left with an amazing group of women who are excited to be Pi Phis!

The first party, ice water round, was Saturday, February 4th. This was the first chance for Pi Phi to meet all of the potential new members.

Primping for Ice Water round!

Relaxing between parties.

The second party, theme round, was on the following Monday. Pi Phi's theme was Destination: Pi Phi! We had decorations for popular travel sports such as Egypt, Paris, Hollywood and Fiji.

A few of Pi Phi's adorable red-heads!

Walking like an Egyptian at theme!

Preference round was on Wednesday. This was the final party in recruitment, and the most gorgeous of them all! Everyone looked classy in their black dresses and badges.

Pi Phi love at Preference round.

The executive board!

And finally the big day; Bid Day! After all of our hard work, MD Gamma finally met our new members! Our theme was "A Pi Phi's Life for Me". We decorated treasure chests, sent messages in a bottle, and set up a photo booth with fun pirate-themed props.

So glad to be a Pi Phi!

We can't wait to get to know each and everyone one of them!

Intersession in the Everglades!

While many sisters were stuck up north for January, a few lucky ladies traveled south with the outdoors club to kayak in the Everglades. Check out some photos from their tropical adventure.

 

Maritza and Jenna are ready to go.

Maritza getting some air!

Jenna on her kayak!

 Stay tuned for more Intersession adventures from Maryland Gamma!

Angels Abroad!

MD Gamma has a few sisters abroad this semester! Junior Emily D. is currently attending University College of London and shares her experiences so far.

This semester, I'm taking some time away from Hopkins and my MD Gamma sisters to study abroad at University College London.  I've been across the pond for almost three weeks now and so far it's been a great experience.  Studying abroad is giving me the opportunity to take courses that I wouldn't have had access to at home, such as Art History in London, in which class is held in galleries around the city, and Politics of the European Union. 
    In addition to my academics, I've had ample opportunity to explore the city and soak up the culture and history.  A few new American friends and I have adopted the tradition of Cultural Wednesdays.  Since class schedules tend to be particularly light on Wednesdays, we use the day to pick interesting sites around London to visit.  On the first "Cultural Wednesday" we climbed The Monument to the Great Fire of London, and last week we visited the Tower of London and Tower Bridge!
    Over the next few months I will continue to explore London, and I will also venture out to other places in Europe.  I already have plans in the works for trips to Spain, Scotland (where hopefully I will see MD Gamma members Pearl and Nicole, who are studying abroad at the University of Edinburgh), and Ireland.  I also have a couple of friends from Hopkins and my hometown visiting over their spring breaks, and my parents are visiting in April!  It will be nice to be able to show everyone around my temporary home as I become more and more familiar with the area.
    Thus far, most of the people I've met here are Americans also studying abroad.  Coming in mid-year makes meeting people challenging, but I'm looking forward to meeting more full-time British students as time goes on.  One thing is for sure, I miss my Pi Phi sisters!  I wish MD Gamma all the best during the upcoming Sisterhood Week and Spring Recruitment and I can't wait to meet our fabulous new member class when I return.

Oh the places you'll go!

Our angels at here at Maryland Gamma are well traveled! Check out some photos from the places our sisters visited this past winter break.

Vanessa in Israel

 

Devin, Sarah and Jess in Las Vegas.

Georgia in China!

Georgia talks a bit about her time in China:
Since I was studying abroad in China this fall, I decided to travel around the country during winter break. I spent three weeks traveling through China on planes, 24-hour trains, and overnight buses (on which you get stuck sleeping in a bed with strangers if you don't claim a bed early!). I went to incredibly modern cities whose skyscrapers light up in different colors and designs at night, countryside far enough removed that public long-distance buses are waved down like taxis by farmers, and industrial cities with smoke stacks interspersed between super tall apartment buildings. First, I went south to see the rice terraces in Yunnan Province. I ended up getting lost hiking through the terraces and got a lot of strange looks from local farmers. From there I went to see the unique karst landscape (strangely pointy little mountains) in Yangshuo. I went biking around the countryside and explored a cave. I spent Christmas in Macau, wandering through the colonial Portuguese-style buildings and Christmas lights. I visited a friend in Hong Kong for New Years where I saw the fireworks and ate my weight in dim sum. Next, I went back to Beijing, where I had been studying, and made friends with the owner of the dumpling shack for whom my friend is currently interning. Lastly, I went to Harbin, which is so far north that your camera battery will die from the cold. There I wandered through the ice festival and saw intricate snow sculptures and giant ice buildings with colorful lights in them. Even though I'm still I a little surprised I made it out alive what with the many mistakes I made (you can never get travel plans exactly right in China; it always take a little improv), it was an adventure of a lifetime and I'm really glad I took the initiative and went.