Our next sorority spotlight goes out to the lovely ladies of Alpha Phi Gamma Sorority Inc. For those of you who don’t know, Greek life has many different councils. My sorority, Chi Sigma Omega, is part of the CPC council. Alpha Phi Gamma is part of the GPAAC council. It doesn’t matter what council you belong to because we are all Greek together. I decided to go outside of my council this week and reached out to these ladies, so you can get a glimpse of what it means to be a sister of APhiG!
Credited: Kevin Reodica
Seven women from the University of Illinois at Chicago yearned to make a difference within the university and surrounding community. In summer 2011, Kaitlin Digrispino, Jean Dionicio, Chelsea Gabon, Jeanne Khousakoun, Nhi Le, Lisa Trinh, and Trish Truong came together to achieve the first milestone in Alpha Phi Gamma, Lambda Chapter’s history. Together, these women established a foundation that fostered academic excellence, leadership, personal development, scholarship, and sisterhood. On February 26th, 2012, Alpha Phi Gamma was chartered at University of Illinois at Chicago, and was later granted the Lambda Chapter on June 27th, 2015.
The sisters of Alpha Phi Gamma are passionate, hard-working women who lead by example. These women thrive off service and consistently give back to the Chicago community. All sisters of Alpha Phi Gamma across the nation join forces to raise awareness towards our national philanthropy, The Fight Against Domestic Violence Towards Women and Children. Service knows no bounds, and these women find ways to give back to the community through numerous food pantries, Chicago marathons, bone marrow drives, luminarias, and even on-campus career fairs. They strive to be model citizens, and in order to do so we must live in a selfless, strong community.
We’ve all heard it before, “so and so is the best sorority ever!” or “joining this sorority has changed my life forever!” Although it may sound cliché to many of you, it doesn’t change how the sisters of APhiG feel about their sorority. Get an inside look of how Alpha Phi Gamma has changed the lives of these sisters and what sisterhood means to them below:
Kaitlin “Jenga” Digrispino: “My definition of Sisterhood has drastically changed since becoming a Sister of Alpha Phi Gamma. Originally, I tossed around the word “sister” in reference to my close friends. However, since joining Alpha Phi Gamma, the word “sister” has such a deeper meaning to me. I’ve come to see that true Sisterhood is unbreakable and genuine, but most importantly, it’s forever. Through any obstacle, all the ups and downs, and hardships, your true sisters will be by your side with you. Alpha Phi Gamma has changed my life in only positive ways since I crossed in Fall 2011. I’ve realized my true colors and have gained a better understanding of myself; this organization has made me nothing but stronger and more proud of who I am. I cannot begin to express how blessed I am in being apart of this sisterhood. It’s the best decision I’ve made thus far.”
Credited: Kevin Reodica
Monica “im-PULSE” Juarez: “To me, sisterhood is more than just a friendship. Friends come and go, but a sister will stick by your side through thick and thin. At times you might butt heads with them but the only thing that matters is that at the end of the day, you know that she has your back and you will have hers. Thanks to Alpha Phi Gamma, I was able to challenge myself in getting out of my comfort zone. I used to be so shy that I wouldn’t even like ordering my own food at restaurants, and my parents would do it for me. After I crossed into the sorority, I learned to become independent and speak up for myself. I never thought I would ever fight so hard for something I really wanted. I never knew what I was capable of doing and how determined I could be for something. I learned a lot about myself and I owe all my thanks to Alpha Phi Gamma.”
Credited: Kevin Reodica
Eliza “Vogue” Lazaro: “To sum it all up, sisterhood is more than just friendship. It’s these lifelong bonds that can’t be found anywhere else. There are always ladies by my side to laugh, cry, and eat with–no matter where on campus you’re at, what street of Chicago you’re on, or even what part of the country you’re in. Alpha Phi Gamma has helped me grow as a person and showed me that I have more potential than I ever thought I had. I gained so much and I love every single one of my sisters. Crossing into APhiG is one of the best decisions I have ever made.”
Credited: Kevin Reodica
Heather “Daisy” Tran: “A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out. If ‘friend’ were substituted with ‘sister’ then the quote would hold 100% accuracy. That quote represents my Sisterhood and what it means to be a sister of Alpha Phi Gamma. Although sororities in general have a negative connotation, Alpha Phi Gamma crushed these connotations and changed me for the better. It’s hard to convince people because there’s no concrete evidence to support how much impact the sorority has on me. The evidence is not something that you can hold or see visibly with your naked eye. I have become a more responsible person. I took up positions after I crossed, learned how to time manage, increased my professionalism, and shortly after, took on a job while commuting to school. I have become a well-rounded individual. My confidence has increased and my network circle has widened due to my involvement with the sorority. All of the changes I’ve just listed cannot compare to what Alpha Phi Gamma has given me. The sisterhood truly is something unbreakable, and I was fortunate enough to be given a second family. The people who were once strangers are now the backbone of my life, especially my line sisters. The support is real and unconditional; the love does not stop but continues to grow for the rest of our lives. During my darkest times, these people have reached out to me and helped me without hesitation simply because I am a sister. That is something that I am extremely grateful for and it doesn’t occur that often in today’s society. All I know is that at the end of the day, I will always be there for them and they will always be there for me. That’s what sisterhood is supposed to mean. It may sound superficial, but don’t beat it until you try it.”
Credited: Kevin Reodica
Katrina “JAGUAR” Zabat: “Since I’ve joined Alpha Phi Gamma, I’ve been blessed with the opportunity of sharing nothing but so much more love, support, and confidence in my life. If you talked to me in high school I probably would’ve told you I wasn’t the “type” to join a sorority. However, coming to UIC and being so welcomed by APhiG with open arms, I’ve learned to know and become a part of what a true sisterhood is. I’ve always felt hesitant to put myself out there, but through them being my strong support system, I’ve learned to accept myself more and more everyday. It’s a fact that my sisters will love me and have my back no matter what. They’ve helped me learn more about myself and make me strive to always become a better person.”
Credited: Kevin Reodica
You’ve gotten a glimpse of the lovely ladies of Alpha Phi Gamma Sorority Inc. and seen that these ladies truly love their sisters, as do all sororities! A sorority sister is a lifelong friend. A sisterhood is a group of girls that will welcome you with open arms and stand beside you no matter what!
Credited: Timothy Nguyen
Special thank you to Atna, APhiG’s social media publisher for helping with this article and allowing us to interview the lovely ladies of APhiG!