Hey Panthers! My name is Emma, and I’m a sophomore creative writing major with minors in sociology and the university honors program from San Diego, California.
When I first came to Chapman, I knew I wanted to get involved in clubs and organizations that reflected my current interests, but also explore new passions I was interested in. This led my introverted self to the daunting idea of putting myself out there and investigating a wide variety of groups on campus. Given that I had been told by older students to “go for it” and expose myself to as much involvement as possible, I concluded that the risk sounded very worthwhile.
Exploring many different organizations helped me discover the involvements that called to me, whether they were old or new! In high school I was passionate about event planning, so I applied for the University Program Board (UPB) to strengthen my skills in this field. UPB plans and puts on many of Chapman’s student-based events, such as our annual themed dance during Orientation! As a UPB member, I’m not only a liaison to other students about upcoming events, but I get to positively impact our school community and spirit. I was a member of the Late-Night Entertainment Committee, one of the five committees on UPB, which specializes in evening or late-night events.
I also auditioned for many choral groups to continue my love for singing and I joined the University Treble Choir! Singing with the women of this group reminded me of how singing daily always raised my mood. Joining the Treble Choir taught me that I need to seek out the involvements that energize me and make me excited about life. This is a piece of advice I would like incoming students who are not sure how they want to get involved on campus to remember; seek out your energy sources!
When it comes to trying out new and unfamiliar clubs, my suggestion is that if you think you might be slightly interested in one, go to a meeting! Attend many different clubs and discover the ones that call to you. I initially attended many club meetings; as I learned more about them, I could narrow down my interests to the clubs I wanted to continue attending. These were clubs such as Chapman Feminists, which fueled my interest in being a more active advocate and voice for women’s rights issues, and Sociology Club, helped me further explore my minor by engaging in discussions about world issues through a sociological lens. As I enter my sophomore year, there are still so many new clubs I want to try out and even start! The key is staying open and curious to any possibilities; you never know what club meeting might ignite a new spark of inspiration!
- Emma Schroeter
I never planned on going Greek when heading into college, but like most plans, it went awry, and I could not be more grateful. Hi, my name is Natalia Cuyler, and I am a Health Science major and planned Neuroscience minor from Marin County, CA. Like most college students who dream of joining the medical field, our main goal is to solely dedicate ourselves to our academics and prepare ourselves, in the best way possible, for the difficult collegiate years that lie ahead of us. By no means does this plan involve joining the Greek community of our college campus, at least it did not for me.
My first semester went as planned… straight As, a small social group (mainly the people I studied with until 2am every night), endless office hours, early mornings at Starbucks reviewing notes, and a few blocked out Friday nights for self-care and relaxation. My academic achievements became who I was and as my first semester at college came to a close, I truly did not think this grueling schedule would ever change although deep down I knew I wanted more out of my college experience than what I had set out in my plan months before.
The women of Chapman University host sorority recruitment at the beginning of the Spring semester. I seized this as an opportunity, one that would both broaden my social life and provide much needed structure for my support system. I signed up with hesitation, not fully grasping the extent of this commitment or how it would completely alter my plan I had believed for so long was set in stone.
I am here to say that it is 110% possible to go Greek as a student in STEM. Joining a sorority for me meant making a commitment to a community much greater than my own, finding a family, balancing my time between academics and social experiences, loyalties, and most importantly friendship.
Through joining a sorority on campus, I have found some of my closest friends, ones who support me in all my goals, hype me up when I need it the most, give me time when I need to study, support me and my goals, and encourage me to be the best version of myself. This is not to say that going Greek as a student in STEM is easy or that it is for everyone in any capacity, but it is very much achievable.
Plans change, evolve, and consequently, your mindset, goals, and aspirations grow. I now find myself in a position where I can balance my time, dedicated to myself, my academics, and my community, and when I am up at 2am studying for an exam, I am no longer left without support, instead, my phone is blowing up with messages from 200 women wishing me “good luck.”
-Natalia Cuyler
Hi! My name is Valentyna and I am a junior psychology major with a minor in the University Honors Program! I started at Chapman as a freshman who had come from an all-girls Catholic high school, where my existence as a queer student was shamed. I had a few teachers that I could go to for support, but on so many levels—especially when interacting with administration—I had this constant weight on my shoulders that I needed to hide who I truly was.
I was so excited to move away from the negativity in my New Jersey hometown and come to California to live my life without worrying about what other people thought. As soon as I got to Chapman, I was provided with a ton of resources to help navigate college as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, such as attending the LGBTQIA+ Affinity Group during first-year orientation! This meeting connected me to so many incredible faculty, staff, and peers, and these people have been my support system throughout my time on campus. Because of this group, I was able to get connected with the LGBTQIA+ Advisory Committee under the Chapman Diversity Project, where I have been serving as the student co-chair since my first semester. Alongside Nancy Brink, the faculty co-chair, we spent the past two years revamping our safe space training for faculty and staff to make sure they can be the most supportive allies to our community, doing a major update of the "Queer Pages" resource center on the Chapman website, and putting together a job description to hire a Director of LGBTQIA+ Communities on campus.
If you do not want to get involved in the logistical side of the queer Chapman experience, there are also a ton of events and meetings hosted throughout every semester by clubs such as the Queer and Trans People of Color Collective (QTPOCC), QSpirit (Queer Spirituality Group), and our Queer Student Alliance (QSA) for students to join. These organizations have allowed me to connect with other community members on campus, making friendships that I know will last a lifetime!
- Valentyna Simon