Meet Jessica Juarez, a young and dedicated 4th year and lifetime Alpha Chi Omega member who helped better the UCR Panhellenic community one step at a time! Jessica always made sure to be a fair leader who hoped to unify the Greek masses at UCR to help collegiates take full advantage of their opportunities while building lasting friendships. As a member of Alpha Chi Omega, she made her sister proud to see how far she’s come since her freshman year, stepping up as the face of Panhellenic last year. As one of Jessica’s pledge sisters (woo Fall ’09!) I am honored to call her my sister, and I, along with all my sisters, was always excited to see her come in with her council making Panhellenic announcements. She is definitely a huge asset to our chapter and the Iota Xi chapter has been nothing but strengthened by her membership.
Read more about her time as Panhellenic president!
Jessica (third from left) with her lovely Panhellenic council of the last school year
Age: 22
Major: Art/Studio art
Hometown: LA
Favorite Band: The XX
One interesting fact about yourself: I’m going to a yoga retreat this summer in India!
HC: What position did you hold last year in Panhellenic?
JJ: Panhellenic president.
HC: What made you want to run for that position? What did you hope to accomplish?
JJ: I wanted to be involved, have some sort of leadership position, something greater than just sorority life. My mentality was “Why not?” I knew I was qualified. I also wanted to make Panhellenic better known to the Greek community, to know who Panhellenic is on campus. I didn’t know my freshman year who the president was. And also to get the Greek community to start getting along [better].
HC: What were some of the duties you were responsible for?
JJ: So, basically as president, I was the one in charge to make sure everything got done. You’re not really assigned a certain event or activity. You have to make sure everything is being done on time and within the ways you want it to be done. I had five girls in my council [one from each sorority]. I helped brainstorm ideas and I was there to assist and encourage my council members to provide more activities than the year before.
HC: Do you feel that position benefited you, personally? And how so?
JJ: It did, it benefited me by showing me how to interact with a small group of girls as well as the larger Panhellenic community as a whole. I had an image [to uphold]. At times I was also going to retreats and huge conferences that Panhellenic put on throughout the California region. And I found myself representing all of UCR Panhellenic. As much as it is an honor, it’s a responsibility, behaving myself the right way, as well as networking with others and really trying to find a way to get everyone on board. I grew up a lot. Professionally, I developed my skills as a networker.
HC: What are some words of advice or encouragement for future Panhellenic presidents?
JJ: Listen to your council, but always listen to your own intuition and be faithful to who you are as a person.
HC: Ultimately, what is your greatest life ambition?
JJ: To be successful in both personally and professionally, and maybe live in San Francisco.