Julianna Barr ‘17 is an outstanding member of the Dickinson community. She is involved in various leadership positions including serving as president of Pi Beta Phi and Coordinator of Community Service for Commserv. Julianna is a great role model due to her ability to manage her extracurriculars with her academics. Her Campus reached out to Julianna to find out more about sorority recruitment, her experience at Dickinson, and her role as President of Pi Beta Phi.
Name: Julianna Barr
Class Year: 2017
Major(s): International Studies
Minor: Security Studies
Hometown: Potomac, Maryland
HC: What are you involved with on campus?
JB: On campus I am involved with Pi Beta Phi as Chapter President, I am a Coordinator of Community Service for Dickinson’s Commserv Program, I am the Campus Campaign Coordinator for Teach for America, and I am the Vice President of the She’s the First Chapter at Dickinson!
HC: How do you balance all of your extracurriculars while keeping up with your studies?
JB: I try to see each activity as a break from the other. If I am not in the mood to do my homework, then I will change course and make progress on other tasks required from my extracurriculars and vice versa. I also try and balance each daily. Starting with a to-do list and a well-organized planner is key.
HC: What is your biggest challenge as being president of Pi Beta Phi?
JB: The biggest challenge is accomplishing everything you want while maintaining a balance. The chapter President position can honestly be a full time job, and it is very easy to invest a ton of energy and time into it. The biggest challenge is accomplishing as much as I can on behalf of the chapter, without losing sight of my other responsibilities. I want to achieve all that I can for our chapter so that each sister can be supported and feel as though we are thriving—but it’s a challenge to always know the best and most effective way to do that when you have other things to focus on.
HC: What has been the most rewarding part of being president of Pi Beta Phi?
JB: That’s a tough one. It’s so hard to pinpoint just one aspect that I have found rewarding. Overall, I would say that my experience in this position has taught me so many important life lessons about my leadership style and myself—I think the self-reflection I have had is a personal reward that will continue with me for the rest of my life. However, the greatest reward has been the privilege of leading my sisters, a group of truly amazing women, in achieving our shared goals for the chapter. The support and trust that I have had throughout my term as president has shown me just how much love and care exists between each Pi Phi… the gift of friendship and privilege of leadership are rewards beyond compare.
HC: What advice would you give to girls considering going through recruitment?
JB: My advice is to embrace the opportunity and get as much from it as you can. It is such a great way to meet people and you will find that the process of recruitment itself will leave you with so many more friendships than you could have imagined. Give it your all and really be honest with yourself and how you feel during each night of recruitment. Also, we all know how exciting AND tiring eachnight is, so my advice is not to be shy and go for the water and food at each sorority!
HC: How has being in a sorority changed your college experience?
JB: I had an amazing freshman year and really did not believe it could get any better, but Pi Phi showed me what it meant to have lifelong and sincere friendships. The relationships that I have built through Pi Phi, and the memories I will have from Dickinson, will always be my fondest and most special experiences on campus. Greek life, and Pi Phi specifically, opened new doors, and it challenged me to be a better student, a better friend, a better leader, a better woman, and a better Dickinsonian. I really think that it connected me to my peers in a way that I would not have been if I had not gotten involved in Pi Phi.
HC: What is your favorite thing about being in a sorority?
JB: The unending support. When I step back and look at our chapter, I see an incredibly successful and capable group of women, who together, make amazing things happen for one another through constant support, outreach and activism. I love the diversity of our organization and the personalities that make each and every Pi Phi unique. I always know that I have someone to say hi to, sit with, or reach out to if I am ever in need.
HC: What is one stereotype about sororities that you find to be false?
JB: I find that the stereotype that your sorority is the only thing that you can do on campus is completely false. Personally, I think that we are an amazing organization because of the fact that we have so many women involved in so many different things. Our sisters’ diversity in thought and involvement adds value to our chapter that is vital for our success and happiness. Pi Phi is lifelong, but not your life.
HC: Are you involved with anything off of campus?
JB: I have an internship with the World Affairs Council of Harrisburg.
HC: What is your favorite thing about Dickinson?
JB: Being able to recognize almost everyone and the Quarry sandwiches (a personal favorite).
HC: What has been the most challenging class you have taken at Dickinson?
JB: Intelligence was the most difficult course I took. All my academic instincts and habits were challenged and refined during my semester in this class, but I can honestly say that I left the class with so much knowledge and passion for the subject. Looking back now, I wouldn’t trade the experience for the world… but if you had asked me during mid-midterms week last spring, I definitely would’ve hesitated [to say that].
HC: What is something that most people don’t know about you?
JB: I’m pretty much an open book… but I guess that most people don’t know that I have a food Instagram account that I started while I was abroad that I am obsessed with. It hasn’t been updated recently because nothing can really compete with the food in Bologna, but I still check it every night before bed (take me back!)!
HC: What are your plans after graduation?
JB: Hopefully, a job (ha!). Ideally I want to be back in the DC area working with some sort of government aid type of work. I want to soak up the young professional life for a year or two! Then, off to grad school in Europe, hopefully. I studied abroad in Bologna, Italy so I want to get as close as possible to the tortellini-loving city.
HC: What advice would you give to your freshman self?
JB: Don’t doubt what you can do. Be open to the unexpected and really work hard to invite in the unfamiliar and uncomfortable experiences that will ultimately end up in your growth. I wish that some of the friends I have now I had met on day one of freshman year, so I really would encourage myself to be more outgoing and confident in terms of making friendships and learning about those around me.