McKayla Traynor, 20-year old ISU junior, has a lot on her plate. To add to her busy schedule, Traynor has recently been announced as Vice President of external recruitment through the Panhellenic council. As an exercise major from Belvidere, Illinois, Traynor likes to keep busy with her sorority, work, and maintain a positive attitude through it all.
HC: You are very involved in the Greek community, tell me a little more about that:
MT: The weird part is I didn’t always want to be in a sorority! My older sister, who has always been my biggest role model, was never in one. Once I got to school I completely changed my mind because I heard about all the extra opportunities that came along with being in a sorority. So luckily I decided to join my sorority, and the best part is, other than all of the leadership opportunities, I now have over 100 best friends that I probably would have never met if it weren’t for my sorority! Because of my passion for my sorority, I decided to do more for the Greek community. This past fall I was a recruitment counselor for Panhellenic’s formal recruitment, and now I am currently Vice President of external recruitment.
HC: Wow! You are so involved! What made you want to become a recruitment counselor and a member of Panhellenic?
MT: Well I had a great experience going through formal recruitment and a lot of that had to do with my recruitment counselor Bonnie. She was easy to talk to, outgoing, positive, and made recruitment really fun for me. Recruitment wasn’t stressful because she made us all feel so comfortable. She was a great role model, and she encouraged me to apply to be a recruitment counselor myself. After seeing how the recruitment process was ran and how much fun it was I decided I didn’t want to stop being a part of it. I also work with Megan who helped run recruitment this past fall and she also encouraged me to apply for the position so I did and I’m so happy I got it!
HC: What exactly does your position as Vice President of external recruitment entail?
MT: Skye, the Vice President of internal recruitment, and I will be working together and teaching a class this spring which will be for all the new recruitment counselors. It is where they will be educated on the recruitment process. We will also be organizing and planning formal recruitment for fall 2012. We basically make sure that everything is ready for formal recruitment and that it runs smoothly.
HC: What are you most excited about and are you nervous about having this position?
MT: I’m most excited to meet all the potential new members this fall and I’m excited to help them become a member of one of the many great chapters here on campus. I’m most nervous that there won’t be a large number of girls going through recruitment. We want as many girls as possible to give formal recruitment a shot because it is truly a great experience.
HC: What else are you involved with outside of the Greek community?
MT: I am currently a leasing agent at Young America Realty. My job includes showing available apartments to college students. Right now I’m currently a part of the direst sales team. We target students who have not yet signed leases and we help them find apartments that are still available and suit their needs. Because of this job I have a lot of marketing experience which I think will help me with my position on Panhellenic!
HC: You seem extremely busy! How do you manage your time with all of these activities?
MT: Usually when I’m involved in more things I stay more organized. I have a planner and it is basically my life. I found a planner type thing on a website called pinterest and it is my new obsession. It allows me to cross things off once I’ve completed them, and it helps keep me organized.
HC: When you do have a little bit of free time, what do you enjoy doing?
MT: I love to run and hang out with my sorority sisters. I live across the street from my sorority house which is awesome. I could sit on Pinterest for hours in my free time! I also love to cook, especially pasta!
We wish McKayla the best of luck with next year’s formal recruitment!
We have no doubt she will do a great job!