March Members of the Month: Lucy Coyle and Abigail Ryan

Congratulations to our two March Members of the Month, Lucy Coyle and Abigail Ryan! These two women are members of Octopodes, an a capella group here at Hopkins. This sesmest, the Octopodes have been successful in their win at the International Championship of Collegiate A Capella (ICCA) Quarterfinals competition that took place at Hopkins in February. This earned them a ticket to semifinals which took place in mid-March. Within the group, both ladies have arranged various songs, including "Soul Mate" by Natasha Beddingfield and "Lonely Night in Georgia" by Marc Brussard. Abigail sings the solo for Lady GaGa's Bad Romance," and Lucy sings the solo for "Uncharted" by Sara Bareilles. The two talented singers balance the demands of countless rehearsals, tours, and performances with their commitment to Pi Phi. For this reason, Lucy and Abigail are March's Members of the Month.
Check out the video of their winning performance from Quarterfinals!

Fraternity Day of Service

On March 2nd, Maryland Gamma celebrated its first Fraternity Day of Service. To celebrate Read Across America Day and Dr. Seuss' Birthday, the chapter set up a bake sale and invited members of the Hopkins community to decorate bookplates. The bookplates will grace the inside covers of books to be donated to Montebello Elementary School in Baltimore. These activities helped to spread literacy awareness and created a fun - and successful - day of service.

Lauren, Meg and Natasha work the table on the Levering Courtyard.

Some of the many book plates that were decorated.

Delicious treats for sale, even some kosher and vegan options were available!

A Hopkins student supporting the cause!

Beck, Keelin, Steph, Linda and Julia all rocking our theme day shirts in spirit of the day.

Vivi in the Cat in the Hat costume.

Aly, Natalie, Sara, Pearl and Brittany hanging out during the bake sale.

February Member of the Month: Alana Merkow

February's member of the month is sophomore Alana Merkow. Alana is not just a member of the MD Gamma charter class, but she is also a member of Hopkins' varsity Track & Field team. Most recently, Alana became an Indoor Centennial Conference Champion in the shot put. In the competition on February 26th, Alana captured the title with her final throw of 39 feet and 4 inches. Her contribution played a large role in the team's historic first ever Indoor Conference Championship win.

Not only is she a star athlete, but Alana also brings the Pi Phi value of "Philanthropic Service to Others" to her teammates. Alana is currently working hard to plan the annual Blue Jay 5k, a race put on by the team in April in order to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. 

Her dedication to her sport and to philanthropy makes Alana an outstanding Pi Phi, and February's member of the month.

Recruitment 2011: Perspective of a New Member

My name is Kaitlyn Corbin and I am one of Maryland Gamma’s new members! Before I tell you a bit about my recruitment experience, I figure some background information is necessary. I went to an all girls’ high school in New York City. In coming to Hopkins I was definitely looking for a group of girlfriends who would be there for me whenever I needed them. I was also looking for a solid support group of upper classmen who knew the ins and outs of JHU to help me as I navigate my way through freshman year and beyond. Obviously, the prospect of joining Greek Life at Hopkins was appealing.

At noon on one dreary Saturday morning, many of us Hopkins’ girls gathered in Charles Commons for what would be one of the most stressful weeks I’ve had at Hopkins. We began sorority recruitment. Despite all of the stress, it was one of the most fun weeks I have had here! Along with the rest of our Rho Gamma groups, we went to and from each sorority’s parties, learning more about their values and their unique presence on campus. We met both sisters and potential new members along the way. After each day we marked whom we liked and as we got further into recruitment, the number of sororities that we visited became smaller and we got a deeper glimpse into what makes each sorority unique at Hopkins and as a national chapter.

After 3 very long days it was Bid Night. All of the girls gathered in the Glass Pavilion dressed in white. Small envelopes with each ladies’ bids were pasted behind their chairs. After some ceremony (which to be honest, I wasn’t paying much attention to) the moment came for us to open our bids and go meet our new sisters. I ripped open my bid envelope to find the Pi Beta Phi symbol and immediately felt a rush of emotion. I really cannot describe the feeling more than incredible excitement. Finally, through all the commotion, I made it to the group of Pi Phis jumping and singing to welcome all of the new members to the Pi Phi family.

  Bid night was something to remember. Fashion shows, dance routines, and eating cake at midnight definitely can bring a group of girls together. It’s super hard not to feel a connection to people after dancing like fools to Miley Cyrus!  At multiple points in the night, I realized that I hadn’t had this much fun with a group of girls (not to mention girls I had just met) since my best friends in high school. The bond was instant and I know that things are only going to get better from here. I can honestly say that I am so proud to be part of Maryland Gamma’s Alpha Class. In one night I made practically 60 new friends, now sisters, and the best way of describing this feeling was “coming home.” 

New members and old celebrate together

New Members Ally Tanzola, Kaitlyn Corbin, Emily Rosenberg (left to right))

          

Still in the Glass Pav, directly after receiving their bids

Intersession 2011

Hopkins' 3-week Intersession is a time for students to explore unique academic classes (The Chemistry of Baking), obscure extracurriculars (How to Play the Hammered Dulcimer), and personal enrichment classes (Dance like Jane Austen). Here's how we spent the break.

Some angels went abroad to study and learn in Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. . .

From left to right: Vanessa Valdivia, Kristin Boulier, Anne Hobson, Hannah Cohen

From left to right: Hannah Cohen, Kristin Boulier, Vanessa Valdivia

. . . while others went to Israel. . .

Steph Dalwin and Alexandra Hill

. . . and we even celebrated a birthday at Miss Shirley's Brunch!

The birthday girl, Anna Huang, and Georgia P.

Natalie Copeland and Brittany Prieto

Spend the holiday season with some Pi Phis!

The air may be cold outside but that doesn't stop a Pi Phi from having fun. Over the holidays we traveled as far as Australia and stayed as close to Hopkins as the city of Baltimore itself. Check out some of the ways the Maryland Gamma sisters spent their Decembers.

Do these colors look familiar to you?

Brittany Tusing celebrated the holidays with a Pi Phi
themed tree

Natalie Copeland (right) hit the hockey rink.

Emily Daggett took an extreme vacation in Australia that included
cuddling koalas and sky-diving. 

Hopkins' Next Top Model is. . . a Pi Phi!

Nov. 22, Pi Phi sophomore, Aishwarya Rajagopalan, competed in Hopkins' Top Model. Pi Beta Phi and other student groups came to support the "Clean Water for Peace Project" which addresses the arsenic water contamination problem in Bangladesh. With her sisters' support, the poise of angel, and gorgeous outfits, Aishwarya took home first place. She not only helped to spread the word about this student group's fantastic work in India, but also that Pi Phi girls are beautiful. . . inside and out!

Check out some pictures from the evening:

Ready to support a sister

Pi Phi's Top Model!

Striking a pose (Tyra would be proud)

Pi Phi's represent!