Make the Most of Taking a New Member Class in Your Org!

Taking a brand new new member class into your sorority is an extremely exciting time. Not only are you helping your chapter grow but there's the opportunity to take little(s) and get to know them on the same level that you know actual sisters. It seems extremely overwhelming. Getting that new member schedule and realizing that you need to make it to most of those events can scare you and rattle your schedule and organization a bit but make the most of them and below I'm going to tell you how!

• Study Hours: Yes, it's an extra thing on your schedule that makes it that much more hectic, however use it to your advantage! It's a great time to force yourself to get work done in absolute silence and you have no distractions. [I am currently writing this post during library hours so I'm being productive :P] Don't look at it as a burden but as a tool to help not only the new members but yourself!
• New Member Events: New member events every night may seem like a super amount of time commitment on top of what you already have on your plate i.e. homework, other clubs, favorite shows..etc. However, those events are going to be where you make a ton of your memories. They also serve as a great refresher course for yourself to brush up on your information and re-remind you of certain things about your chapter that you may have forgotten. For instance, refreshing you on information about standards policies, or on who the founders were of your organization!
• Rituals: Rituals are something amazing and sacred to your particular sorority and sharing that with new members should be an honor and exciting since they're not done very often. Make sure to take it all in, and enjoy them because one day once college is over you won't necessarily be doing them anymore. 

Of course, every new member process is different depending on sorority and chapter, however make the most of the events that your particular chapter has planned! They won't just be beneficial for your new members but yourself too! 

Five Year Reflection

It is crazy to think that five years ago this past Thursday, I  officially became a sister of Phi Sigma Sigma. It is even more amazing to think that the idea of joining a sorority didn't cross my mind until getting to Pace. Being in Phi Sig has had such an important and life changing impact on my life and to think that for years I didn't know that was what I needed is crazy.

Phi Sig has made my college experience, it shaped me into the women I am today and provided me with more opportunities and growth than I could have ever imagined.

In five years I learned the value of leadership by becoming a committee head, then the Vice President of Administration and eventually the Executive Vice President of Panhel, and finally being Phi Sig's Sisterhood Development Chair.

I also learned the value of friendship and met some of the greatest people you could ever hope to meet, women that have helped me become a better person and who have inspired me, and who still play important roles in my life. I was not only blessed with an amazing big, whose positive attitude and strength was exactly what I needed when I got her but also three amazing and beautiful Littles, three amazing grandlittles, and one incredible great-grandlittle.

In addition to my beautiful linage, I was lucky enough to be pledge mom to the best eight kids a pledge mom could hope for. Beyond that I have met some of my best friends, women who I will stand beside at their weddings and they will stand beside me at mine.

Overall, each sister I have made I have became a richer person for each and every one of them (no exaggeration) has been able to teach me something and has had and important role in my life. Beyond the pearly gates of Phi Sig being in Greek life has made way for some other great friendships beyond the letter, friendships fostered by the common understanding of what it is like to be "Greek".

Perhaps most surprising is what I learned about myself. I learned what I am capable of and how I work with others. I learned who and I am and what things I value.

Overall the five years I have spent as a sister of this amazing organization has proven to be one of the best decisions I have ever made and I am beyond grateful. I hope that those of you who read this can look back at the time spent in your chapter and remember how it changed you because before you know it you will be staring back five years later and hopefully realizing why joining your chapter was one of the greatest experiences of your life!

Photos of Zac Efron to Get You Prepared for Neighbors 2

It's official! Neighbors 2 will be premiering May 13, 2016. Why is this a big deal? Is it because the first movie was hilarious? Is it because we love a good frat party?

Well, yes.

But it is really because WE GET ANOTHER HOUR AND A HALF OF ZACHARY DAVID ALEXANDER EFRON'S FACE.

AND CHISELED ABS.

This may be too hot to handle, so here are some photos of Zac to get you prepared for the upcoming movie:

Zac was announced as one of Forbes's "2015 30 Under 30" because he's been successful from his HSM days to his HOT AF days.

Zac has been working on a lot of movies lately because any person with functioning eyes would pay to stare at that perfect creature.

Oh, and Zac also does charity work because he has even more to offer than perfect physical features.

If you like what you see (as if it was even a question), you can check out more beautiful shots of this Hollywood hunk on my Pinterest board.

The movie will have a plot, too. Not that a film featuring Zac needs a plot to get my money. The Hollywood Reporter posted an article that the sequel will have a female twist. THR reporter Tatiana Siegel wrote, "This time a sorority moves in next door to the couple, who enlist their former nemeses from the fraternity to help battle the raucous sisters."

Sounds entertaining enough. If you need me I'll be auditioning for the role of the 'raucous sister' that makes out with this Delta Psi Beta brother.

Meeting with Our Leadership Development Consultant

I have been through numerous meetings with LDC's but none such as fun as this! Today our LDC came today and needless to say I knew exactly who ours was! We got assigned an amazing girl for our LDC and she is our lovely blogger Amanda Ogen.
It hasn't been 24 hours yet and I know our sisters have already cliqued with her! We just spent well over an hour kicking ass during a kickboxing class. Amanda took it with ease, and I legit broke a sweat and was way too red in the face.
Thankfully this picture was taken before hand thanks to the lovely idea of my Little. Can't wait to see what what tomorrow brings. Glad to have you get to take in the Kutztown scene for a little.
Xoxo & LITP

Why Taking a Position Within Your Chapter is Amazing

Granted I’ve only been in my organization for about a year now, however in that year span I’ve held three different positions: Homecoming Dance Chair, Public Relations Chair, and Webmistress and I’ve loved every single one of them.

Some of you may be thinking…this is insane, why has she had so many positions? Well let me tell you that every single one of those positions has taught me something extremely valuable. It has taught me time management, organization, people skills, how to work with others, and most importantly to believe in myself because I have the power to accomplish great things.

Take a chance in your chapter! Having positions looks great on resumes, but also give you insight into another layer of the chapter that not everyone gets to see. Being a position holder is rewarding, and once you accomplish things and tasks each semester, looking at the end result couldn’t be any sweeter.

If you’re interested in taking a position and are a little apprehensive about time, go for a position that doesn’t require as much attention [trust me they all consider a ton of attention but some more than others are ranked higher within your chapter]. My first position was homecoming dance chair, it was a one semester job so I didn’t have to serve for a full year, and worked on the homecoming dance our chapter would perform for the showcase our school had every year for homecoming. It was a great stepping-stone to get my feet wet and inspire me to want to take on more positions within the chapter. I had to work with a co-chair, which taught me lessons in teamwork, I had to work with sisters of different dance calibers, forcing me to be able to educate everyone no matter their skill level, and I also had to be creative. All amazing qualities that will help you in your years as a sister and beyond college.

My second two positions I was elected at the same time, and are a step up from my Homecoming position, PR and webmistress. I’m in charge of running our chapter’s social media and website. I make flyers and it’s another job that is similar to my previous job but also very different. I have to keep organized and on time, I get to still be extremely creative, and when I see the product of my creativity come to life and shared on social media I get a giddy feeling inside [yes I know super weird.]

Anyway what I’m getting at is that whether you go all in and run for that executive board position, or you work your way up, taking positions within your chapter will help you grow as an individual and make you much more in sync with what’s going on within the chapter. You’ll realize the love you have for your chapter growing, and taking on positions will only help you in your future.

Using College to Determine Who You Are

When you look back at your life, college should always rank as one of the best experiences you have ever had. While the reasons may seem obvious (friends, sorority events, education, parities, etc.) the true reason is because it will help determine who you are and mold you into who you will be.

When I entered college, I was a high school graduate who wasn’t entirely sure of who I was and I what I wanted to achieve through out my life.

Sure, I had ideas, passions if you will, I knew I wanted to see the world, I knew I wanted to do something more than a 9am to 5pm job in a tiny cubical in a dark building, I knew that I wanted to do something “important”, but beyond that, I was lost.

 As I made my way through class after class, course after course, event after event, year after year, I slowly became aware of who I was a person and thus what I wanted to do and where I eventually saw myself.

Throughout my time at Pace, I was able to formulate a very broad but clear idea of what I wanted to do in life based on who I am to the core.  I determined that what I wanted more than anything was to “move” people with my artwork, I wanted to foster emotion by creating something beautiful!  

So as you continue into the spring semester, remember that every experience during your time at your university will help you become attuned to who you are and thus carve a path for you to reach your ultimate goals and thus happiness.

Mark Twain once said, Explore, Dream, Discover, and I believe no statement rings truer. So use college as an opportunity to try everything you can; join clubs, go to events, meet new people, travel to new places; go through college trying to figure out who you are, what you want to do, and who you will become!

How to Get on TV Without Having Any Talent

You might think this sounds too good to be true, but getting on TV is actually pretty easy! If you dream of getting your 15 minutes of fame but lack an impressive talent to share, you can still get on the silver screen. I'm going to tell you tricks and tips that have helped me appear on TV easily.

A quick way to get on TV is to look into reality television opportunities. Think of a reality show that you have only dreamed of being on. Now Google that title with the word "casting" after it, and you will likely see a link to an audition application. Most major networks have casting calls for their reality shows on their websites. Want to be on ABC's "The Bachelor?" Click here. Love the CBS show "Big Brother?" Look here. These shows also typically have nationwide open casting calls to search for the next best cast members.

Here is a shot of me recording an audition tape for the next season of CBS's "Big Brother."

There are countless websites such as Auditions Free and West Casting that promote auditions for various reality shows. If you sign up on their email lists, you will get emails about casting calls practically daily. These companies also have social media pages that share the same information, so you can follow them as well!

Speaking of social media, the easiest way to hear about casting opportunities is to follow casting directors on Facebook and Twitter. Lots of casting directors and production companies use their social media pages in addition to their websites to spread the word about their casting calls. For example, you can follow @MTVShowCasting if you have been looking to get on an MTV show.

Here are shots of me on an episode of "The Substitute," a trivia game show that was on MTV.

Once you make that initial break into reality TV, keep in touch with the casting directors and production crew. You never know when they will need extras again.

These photos below are from my time as an extra for Style's "Jerseylicious."

After being an extra on that show a few times, I stayed in touch with the casting producers. Once they started working on new projects, they posted on Facebook looking for extras. When one casting producer needed extras for a couple of scenes for a new show on truTV called "Hack My Life," I responded to her Facebook post with my interest. Here is a shot from a segment I was in for that show.

Of course, if you want to be on TV by being an audience member of a live recorded program, there are different ways to do that as well. Just like with reality casting roles, there are websites and social media accounts that post opportunities to be audience members of shows. One of those sites is called Gotham Casting. I have been in the audience for a bunch of shows that I heard about through Twitter and Facebook posts. Plus, there are often people on the streets of major cities hired to promote tapings and recruit audience members.

Here is a shot of my view from when I was an audience member for Fox's "The X Factor."

Let's not forget talk shows and news shows! Check the shows' websites for applications or information about getting tickets to talk shows like "Jerry Springer" or "The Wendy Williams Show." Below is a shot from an airing of an episode of "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." You can somewhat see Jay shaking my hand in the front row.

I was fortunate enough to get an opportunity to get VIP seats to a taping of ABC's "Good Afternoon America," a spinoff of "Good Morning America." One of my close friends was interning for the television show and reserved tickets for me. If you know someone interning or working for a show that has live tapings, consider asking them if they can get you tickets!

These are just some of the ways to be a part of a show taping. Try it for yourself and see how fun and fascinating it is to make a television show come to life.

RedWhiteandChloe Giveaway!

"My name is Chloe and I'm a student at Miami University in Ohio studying Strategic Communications and Fashion. I'm a member of Tri-Delta and love all my sisters for being so supportive of my business! I started my Etsy page over the summer when I was just making crafts for myself and a lot of my friends expressed interest in buying some. I've always been a huge fan of DIY and crafting so I love having a place to share that with others!"

I personally LOVE my United States of Lilly puzzle! It is a great decoration for your room or to add a little prep in your space. Make sure you enter the giveaway to get the chance to own your own to brighten up your space!


RedWhiteandChloe

Valentine's Day on a College Budget

With Valentine’s Day around the corner many college couples are trying to plan a special time with their significant others but on a very real ramen noodles every night budget.

This is a sometimes a really daunting task, how can you get the maximum experience on a limited budget.

Well I am going to let you in on a little secret- sometimes the best Valentine Day plans don’t involve tons of money on flowers and chocolate but rather just taking the time to think of the person you love on that special day.

Below I have listed the top five things that you can do on Valentine’s Day without breaking your budget.

1.     Homemade card and home baked goods: Why spend $10 on a card and box of chocolates for you significant other when you can make an even more personalized version yourself. Design your own card and write something that truly relates to your relationship. Instead of a box of chocolates, make them their favorite cookies instead. This will add a personalized touch to this traditional Valentine’s Day tradition.

2.     Dinner: Instead of going out and easily dropping $100 bucks on dinner, make a meal together. This is the perfect way to spend time together and make Valentine’s Day special. Who knows, a One Tree Hill style cookie dough fight could be fun!

3.     Flowers: Instead of buying flowers and spending a fortune (trust me all flowers are more expensive on Valentine’s Day) go on to pintrest and make paper flowers. They will last forever and being a special thing you make for your significant other with no expiration date attached.

4.     Dinner and Netflix: Snuggle up in your room after your home cooked dinner and watch a movie from your list on Netflix. Nothing is lovelier than snuggling up and binge watching the episodes of your favorite show.

5.     Gifts: Finally, if you are thinking of gifts get something practical that the person will use or something that you can do together.  If they are a teacher, get them a new white board to lesson plans.  If he plays baseball, get him a new glove.  If you want to do something as a couple, plan a small vacation or a spa day.

Ultimately, Valentine’s Day is a just another day to show the person you love how much you care.  So take the time and make sure you show your love how much you love them!!