Meet our 2016 Executive Board!

President - Hannah Hartlieb
Hometown: Highland, IL 
Major: Communications 
Favorite Alpha Phi Memory: I've gained several awesome memories since joining Alpha Phi, but my favorite would have to be recruitment this past fall. I loved having the opportunity to reflect on my time in this chapter and share why it is so special to me with all the potential new members! 


Vice President of Risk Management - Jess Wolff 
Hometown: Wheaton, IL 
Major: Pre-Occupational Therapy 
Favorite Alpha Phi Memory: I have been blessed with so many wonderful memories within Alpha Phi, but a moment I will never forget is Bid Day. I had been dreaming of being part of this chapter all week and as soon as I opened my bid card and ran home, I was greeted with an immense amount of hugs and love from girls of all ages. I have never felt more at home! 


Vice President of Programming & Education - Kira Swearingen 
Hometown: Palatine, IL 
Major: Special Education 
Favorite Alpha Phi Memory: My favorite Alpha Phi memory this year was recruitment because we were together 24/7 for two weeks straight, which lead to new-found friendships. Not only did we create new bonds, but we furthered our knowledge of the chapter as well.


Vice President of Chapter Operations - Bree Hunt 
Hometown: Cairo, MO 
Major: Business Administration 
Favorite Alpha Phi Memory: I’ve made several awesome memories through this chapter, but a memory that really stands out comes from the week we spent preparing for recruitment. One night the seniors dressed up in costumes and started a huge dance party in our front yard. After a long week of preparation it was a good energy booster for a successful recruitment! 


Vice President of Membership Recruitment - Skylar Suppes 
Hometown: Kansas City, MO 
Major: Nursing 
Favorite Alpha Phi Memory: My favorite experience through Alpha Phi was becoming a part of the 2015 Formal Recruitment team. Being a member of this team allowed me to put myself out there and get to know our chapter on a new level. I loved getting to see all of our hard work pay off when we welcomed home our new members on bid day! 


Vice President of Marketing - Ashtyn Scruggs 
Hometown: Lees Summit, MO 
Major: Pre-Physical Therapy 
Favorite Alpha Phi Memory: It is difficult to choose only one memory, but I would have to say my first Mizzou football game my freshman year was one I’ll always remember. It was the first time I truly got to know my sisters from all pledge classes and experienced the amazing atmosphere of sisterhood. 


Vice President of Campus Affairs - Kelly Gorniak 
Hometown: St Charles, Illinois 
Major: Pre-Occupational Therapy 
Favorite Alpha Phi Memory: I have so many wonderful memories from my time here at Alpha Phi so far, but my favorite would have to be living in-house with my pledge class. I can truly say that I’ve gotten to know a little bit about everyone and we've all become so close. Most importantly, there’s always someone up for nightly-ice cream runs! 


Director of Academics - Katie Pulio 
Hometown: Algonquin, IL 
Major: Journalism – Strategic Communications 
Favorite Alpha Phi Memory: My favorite memory so far was our Red Dress Weekend last year. It was amazing how every member worked together to make each of the events the best that they could be, and also so rewarding to see what contributions our chapter made to the Alpha Phi Foundation. 


Director of New Member Education - Natalie Cundiff 
Hometown: Lees Summit, MO 
Major: Nursing 
Favorite Alpha Phi Memory: Girls like my sisters are hard to find. When I get to travel with them and have getaway weekends, those are the memories I cherish. I loved getting to show my friends around my hometown in Kansas City and cheering on the Royals! 


Director of Finance - Bailey Davis 
Hometown: St. Louis, MO 
Major: Business 
Favorite Alpha Phi Memory: My favorite memory within Alpha Phi was definitely Bid Day this year. It was awesome to see how excited all of our sisters were to welcome the new pledge class! We all have so much love for Alpha Phi, so it's really exciting when we get to share that with new sisters. 


Director of Administration - Hannah Scaturro 
Hometown: St. Peters, MO 
Major: Nursing 
Favorite Alpha Phi Memory: If I had to choose my absolute favorite memory since joining Alpha Phi, it would have to be my freshman year sisterhood retreat to Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO. That was when I learned the meaning of true sisterhood. My pledge class as a whole grew so much closer that weekend and I was able to spend more time getting to know my big. 


Panhellenic Delegate - Samara Rothstein 
Hometown: Northbrook, IL 
Major: Social Work 
Favorite Alpha Phi Memory: Although I have had so many amazing memories in Alpha Phi, my favorite so far was during recruitment preparation week when we were surprised with a dance party on the front lawn! It was a time to let loose and relax before the hustle and bustle of recruitment started!

Cam Patton: the new Panhellenic Vice President of Public Relations

Written by: Cam Patton - PC 13

Pictured Right 

By junior year, most sorority women have met their best friends in their chapter, but what many do not realize is that life as a Panhellenic woman doesn’t just stop there. After being a Panhellenic Counselor this past summer, I realized just how much Greek Life at Mizzou has to offer first, second, third, and even fourth year students. A lot of people associate Greek Life with making long lasting friendships, but sisterhood only encompasses one single value of being a Panhellenic woman. Being a disaffiliated Panhellenic woman this summer, I made it my duty to help other women find a chapter that best suited them. Often throughout the recruitment process I would speak to potential new members who were having a tough time choosing between chapters. I’d often ask them, “Well, who do you want to be in a year? What things will you value in two years? What kind of college student do you want to be in three years?” I’d ask these questions because they were so important, and I finally realized that Greek Life at Mizzou is about so many things. It’s about sisterhood, it’s about scholarship, it’s about leadership, and it is absolutely about service. Being a Panhellenic Counselor this summer made me realize that the same question I’d ask my potential new members could be asked of me as well. What kind of Panhellenic woman did I want to be in a year? Or two? Or even three? I wanted to be the kind who could make a difference. Everyday my sisters push me to be a strong, dedicated leader and it is with their help and encouragement that I decided to pursue a position as VP of Public Relations for the Panhellenic Association’s Executive Board. I am passionate about Greek Life because all of the opportunities and experiences I have had as a result of being a Greek woman, and cannot wait to give back to the organization that has given me so much.

Jessica Albright: From Intern to Full Time

Written by: Jessica Albright - PC12

A little over two years ago, I attended my first career fair in search of an internship for the following summer. Most of the companies were looking to hire juniors for internships and seniors for full-time positions after graduation. I figured there was no harm in shaking a few hands and passing out a few resumes to possibly get a foot in the door somewhere. Edward Jones, a financial services firm headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, caught my eye and was one of the few companies I had an awesome conversation with. Talking to the recruiter was fairly easy and effortless since I had met him the night before at a recruiter happy hour put on by my business fraternity, Alpha Kappa Psi. I was confident going to their booth and handing over my resume, and hopeful it would be enough to land an interview.

After going through interviews, I got a call in November from the recruiter offering me an internship in the Human Resources department. I started in June 2014, where I was assigned a variety of projects throughout the summer needed by the department. Additionally, the internship program at Edward Jones requires the interns to participate in a variety of events such as workshops, speakers, and breakfast with company leaders. We were also fortunate enough to be treated with a Cardinals baseball game in the Edward Jones suite.

At the end of the summer, I was able to interview for internships at the firm in different departments the following summer, and I was offered a second internship in the Branch Development department. This past summer, I participated in similar internship events with the company while working in my new division. I served as recruiter scheduling and interviewing candidates, worked on a project that decreased lead-time in the hiring process, and conducted research to lower attrition rates for the firm’s branch office administrators in the first year. Edward Jones cares about both employees and clients, unlike most firms in the industry, which I most definitely value and appreciate. The culture was enjoyable and the people incredible from whom I learned a lot from. Both of these internships gave me phenomenal experiences that I know will be utilized in the future no matter where my career may take me.

Thinking about what I wanted my first job to be after graduation, I had many thoughts and ideas. I had set career goals and values in mind, both of which I hoped to achieve regardless of the company. After many interviews and support from my friends and family, I accepted a full-time offer from Edward Jones as a Rotational Development Professional in the service department. After graduation in May, I will be moving back to St. Louis and starting my position in June, where my first task will be to pass both my Series 7 & 66 stockbroker license exams. Following a successful completion of both exams, I will begin my rotation through the service department where I will rotate through teams focusing on tailored branch support, client services, firm and industry analysis, and concentrated department projects. I am thrilled to start my career with Edward Jones and excited to see what the future holds! 

Sisters Work Together to Promote a Healthy Lifestyle

Written by: Alida Gorman & Caitlin Johnson - PC12

We both wanted to start the NOMmmaste Instagram account for many reasons. Of course we both love to cook, eat, take pretty pictures, and share them with the huge foodie community on Instagram, but this account is so much more to us than just getting likes. When we both lived in the Alpha Phi house and got close with all our sisters, we got to see everyone’s eating habits up close and personal - some good and some not so good. Girls would constantly strive to eat healthier and change their mindset, but didn’t know where to stop their old habits and start their new ones. We understand the frustrations of eating healthy and wanted to help our sisters and others grow a healthier relationship with food and show that eating healthy isn’t as intimidating as it sounds! If you just make it a priority, get in the kitchen, and try it out there are tons of foods and even really easy recipes that make you feel great! Don't get us wrong, we love all of the amazing not-so-healthy food out there, but we realize the dilemmas that come along with those temptations. Ultimately, we wanted to promote healthy eating habits and positive thoughts within our sister’s, families, and friend’s lives.

Spoon University is another foodie blog site that educates our student population on food. Spoon U is unique in the sense that it has a regular homepage with tons of articles from healthy eating to your ‘top 5’ articles about ice cream, but they also have a "campuses" tab where you can find a list of over 300 colleges where it operates! We are bringing this awesome website to Mizzou this fall in order to not only learn and love food, but to also have the opportunity to contribute by writing articles and spreading our own knowledge.

To learn more, check out @NOMmmaste on Instagram!

Katie Pulio Gains Leadership Experience at ELI

Written by: Katie Pulio - PC14

As I sit waiting for my delayed flight, I can’t help but reflect on how the past 5 days have changed me. Through my time at ELI, I have both developed leadership skills and established friendships that will last a lifetime. But I am getting way ahead of myself, so here is how it all happened:

I arrived at Butler University for the Emerging Leaders Institute anxious, excited, and completely alone. I was surrounded by 50+ women from all over the country who were strangers to me. I quickly learned that these women were not strangers at all. We all had such similar personalities, and so much in common because of Alpha Phi. We meshed instantly. Within minutes of walking in the door, I was fully submerged (in the best possible way). Everyone was so kind, accepting, and eager to better themselves and their chapters. Before I even had any of my bags unpacked, we were all collected, eating in the kitchen and getting to know each other.

We spent most of our days learning just about everything leadership entails. Between doing team building exercises, a high-ropes course, and having a discussion with an alumni panel, the facilitators certainly knew how to keep our interest with high-energy activities. We also learned a variety of things essential in good leadership; how to handle confrontational situations, our personal values, and our visions for our chapter were only a few of the topics. The curriculum had a strong focus on Alpha Phi’s values of scholarship, sisterhood, service, leadership, loyalty, and character development. It was interesting to see how these values not only applied to each of our different chapters, but also to each of our selves as individuals.

I knew this would be an incredible experience filled with an abundance of knowledge, but had no idea the type of impact these ladies would have on me. Their positive energy and outlooks on life are consuming and contagious. I have never met such caring and beautiful individuals in my life. Every single one of them inspires me to be the best version of myself I can be. I will be forever grateful for the genuine love & loyalty this international sisterhood has provided me with.

I am a better leader and person because of this experience.  So, thank you to all of these women for showing me who I am and what I want out of life, and to the Alpha Phi Foundation for giving us all this opportunity. I will take the things I’ve learned with me for the rest of my life.

Sister Amber Smith Interns in Brussels, Belgium

Written by Amber Smith - PC12

            This summer I moved to Brussels, Belgium to work for the world’s largest news agency, Thomson Reuters. Basically, what we do in the TV department is report, take video and edit video that we then sell to clients worldwide to use on their stations.  76 clients around the world, including CNN, used one of the stories I worked on. It all still seems a little bit surreal.
            Since Brussels is the capital of the EU, I get the opportunity to work European Union Summits, which are meetings with all of the EU presidents and prime ministers.  I have interviewed Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, British Prime Minister David Cameron and more. You could definitely say that this is not your average “fetch some coffee” type internship because I have been given so many amazing opportunities.

            The program that I am on is the Brussels Exchange program through MU Journalism Abroad. For the program, we have internships Monday through Thursday, an international reporting course and a Belgian culture class at a local university.

            My experience abroad has been about so much more than work and study, though. I have traveled all over Europe. My favorite memories include spending the Fourth of July on Lake Geneva, seeing the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night, eating way too many Belgian waffles, climbing the Swiss Alps, seeing the Anne Frank house, and taking a canal tour in Amsterdam.

            There are no words to describe this experience but it is definitely something I will remember for the rest of my life. It’s been an amazing summer, but I am definitely missing my Alpha Phi sisters. Can’t wait to be reunited in a month!

Sisters Travel to Africa on Volunteer Trip

Written by: Kelsey Fairchild, Kellen Kimmel, and Taylor Blumenthal – PC12

This summer started off with a whirlwind adventure as we traveled to Africa together. We went to Tanzania and Zanzibar with a volunteer trip called GIVE to teach English to bright and eager students while also working to help build a classroom for a local community.

Each morning, students of all ages would enthusiastically arrive at the school, ready to learn anything and everything from numbers to nouns. We allocated our time to work with construction as well, where our days were often filled with laying concrete for the floors of classrooms.  Each day, people from the village would sacrifice their own time in order to come learn and help build, wanting to contribute to the work we were doing for their community. We were overwhelmed with the generosity and kindness of the local people who had so little yet gave so much.

Not only did we devote our time to the volunteer work, but we also were lucky enough to go sailing, swimming with dolphins, on safaris, and visit schools and an orphanage. These experiences opened our eyes to beauty we never knew was fathomable and gave us an appreciation we otherwise couldn’t have imagined.

These past three weeks were filled with more happiness, beauty and gratitude than we can even begin to explain. We set out with the intention of changing the lives of others, only to find that the real change was in ourselves. For us to simply say we are grateful for this experience is an understatement. We are humbled.