Riddhima Agarwal, a senior majoring in Biological Sciences and minoring in Biomedical Engineering, is one of the many stars who shined on stage last Saturday night at the annual Greek Sing event. Greek Sing is a huge event that CMU holds every year where fraternities and sororities perform 13-minute musicals and raise money for philanthropy. This year, the competition between sororities and fraternities to put on the best performance and raise the most amount of money was more intense than ever. As the Greek Sing Chair for Kappa Kappa Gamma, Riddhima played a major role not only in her own sorority but also in the entire Greek Community by spreading her energy and love for Greek Sing and philanthropy.
Involvement on campus:
Currently: Lead Highland Ambassador, Research
Past: RA, OC, Buggy Pusher, Strong Women Strong Girls Mentor, 1000+ Leader, Alternative Spring Break Volunteer, Mosaic Gender Conference Committee, Volunteer through Hospital Elder Life Program at Shadyside Hospital
When did you first join ΚΚΓ?
Fall 2010 as a First Year
Why did you decide to join ΚΚΓ?
I was looking for a community that wasn’t united due to interests but rather personalities and ideals.
Why did you decide to become the Greek sing chair?
Greek Sing is such an amazing philanthropic event on this campus. For me, it was also one of the first events that helped me bond with my sisters in Kappa Kappa Gamma. As the Greek Sing chair I wanted to personally contribute to the Greek community’s philanthropic efforts, lead Kappa Kappa Gamma toward newer and more ambitious goals, and help the most recent members of Kappa Kappa Gamma find a place in their new sisterhood.
When was the first time you performed for Greek sing?
I’ve performed in Greek Sing each of my 4 years as a Kappa. Performing in Greek Sing never felt redundant because each year consisted of different leadership, friendships, goals, and motivations.
What was one of the most difficult challenges/obstacles you had to face when preparing for Greek sing this year?
One of the most difficult challenges I faced when preparing for Greek Sing this year was maintaining mine and my sisters’ momentum in terms of achieving our goals with the show and philanthropy throughout such a long Greek Sing season.
How did you overcome it?
I and the other chairs found it effective to continuously motivate girls with positive reinforcement. I am so proud of the sisters of Kappa Kappa Gamma and brothers of Delta Tau Delta for supporting the chairs and not only putting on an amazing show, but also contributing greatly to the overall philanthropic total.
How many hours did you spend per week on average preparing and fundraising for Greek sing?
Roughly 7-10 hours, though that number doubled/tripled during the weeks leading up to the show.
What is your most favorite memory from Greek sing this year?
The brothers of Delta Tau Delta serenaded us with the sweetest performance. I also loved the morning and afternoon immediately before the show. The entire cast was so proud and excited of what was to come. Seeing the cast come together made me and the other chairs feel like we did our job right.
What was your chapter’s initial philanthropy goal?
$8,000
How do you feel about raising more than $11,000 and placing second in philanthropy at Greek sing?
Phenomenal. Again, I am so proud of the sisters of Kappa Kappa Gamma and I cannot wait to see what they raise next year.
How do you feel about placing third in the doubles category at Greek Sing?
Also phenomenal. All of the shows this year were technically on point, funny, interesting, and entertaining. We were very grateful to have been considered one of the top 3 shows of the evening.
What are you most proud of from this whole experience?
I am most proud of how close Greek Sing 2014 has brought the sisters of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Every member of our house contributed to our success on Saturday either by helping with philanthropy, being in the cast, building sets, supporting the chairs when we were down, or rooting us on from the audience.
What do you hope to see or happen at next year’s Greek Sing?
I hope we break the $100,000 mark! Greek Sing has grown so much over the past 4 years. It’s been amazing to see our Greek community break barriers in terms of raising money for The Children’s Institute. Likewise, the quality of shows gets better every year and I was thrilled this year to see the MGC organizations dominate both the singles and doubles categories. I hope next year’s chairs continue to set the bar high and surpass this year in terms of money raised and quality of shows presented. I know they can do it.