Name: Elana NachshinSchool/year: BC ’15Majors: Psychology and Theatre (concentration in Costume Design)Position in Alpha Chi Omega: President
1. What made you want to run for President of AXO? Believe it or not, I never intended to become a member of the greek community. To be completely honest, before joining Alpha Chi Omega, I saw little to be gained from joining a sorority. But I am the first to admit that I was wrong beyond words. The organization I discovered when I accepted my bid is like nothing could have imagined. As an organization, Alpha Chi Omega both promises and successfully provides its members the opportunity to grow into real, strong women through friendship, leadership, learning, and service. In short, Alpha Chi provided me with both the tools to grow and the supportive and loving environment in which to grow in. My decision to run for chapter president after serving for a year on our executive board as the Vice President of Intellectual Development was based on a want to both preserve and to improve the organization that had enriched my life in many ways. It was my intent to ensure that I left behind a community of independent women who exist as leaders in the Columbia community and in the world at large. I was also determined to preserve and expand upon the strong sisterhood community that serves to provide unconditional love and support for both its members and those in need. As you might have gathered through our Runway Warriors event, our philanthropic pursuits to provide both awareness and support to victims of domestic violence is exceedingly important to our chapter. Accordingly one of my (largest) motivations towards seeking Presidency was to help our chapter rework our altruistic approach in order to expand our community impact – a pursuit that I believe we accomplished beautifully with Runway Warriors.
2. Looking back on your time at Barnard and in AXO, what’s been your favorite memory? This is a hard question! Although many memories come to mind, my favorite was probably the moment this year when my littles met for the first time. I took my first little Ali (my “first born”) in the Spring of 2013, and I took a second little Melanie in the Spring of 2014 while Ali was studying abroad. Although I assured Ali close to a million times that she would absolutely adore Melanie, her hesitancy was clear. During the first week of classes this year, Melanie and Ali met in our chapter’s brownstone, and their connection was instant. Needless to say, I was right: my girls absolutely adore each other and watching their relationship grow has been a serious point of pride and a major collegiate highlight for me.
3. How will your role as President translate into your post-college life? The experiences that I have had and knowledge that I have gained throughout my year as Chapter President have lead me to become grossly aware of where my strengths lie. I know that I am good at both motivating, organizing and leading large groups of people. I am confident in my abilities to think long term, problem solve, mange conflict, adapt, teach, speak in front of crowds, and function highly on very little to no sleep. Although I am unclear as what the future holds for me (I will likely take the rest of my senior year to work this out altogether), I know that I will choose a career that plays into these strengths.
4. Favorite AXO-themed item you have (and why)? As anyone in a sorority will attest, we accumulate an immense array of lettered items or “swag.” My collection has grown so large that I need a whole drawer just to hold all of the t-shirts, tank tops, sweatpants, sweatshirts, pinnies etc. It’s actually obscene. But if I had to choose one item, it would probably be a T-shirt from homecoming 2011 (before I joined) that I inherited from my big Elana (yes, we are both named Elana) during senior wills last spring. Elana graduated last year, and as I miss her more than words can express, this shirt means the world to me.
5. I’m sure it can be nice to unwind after a long day of Presidential duties and organizing huge events like Runway Warriors. How do you relax? Relax…what a concept…Although I don’t get much down time, when I do get it I can most often be found doing something active, preferably yoga or running in the park, almost always in the company of my sisters. I am also a huge nerd, and can spend hours on end doing crossword puzzles or debating current events in our brownstone.
Want to nominate the Celebrity in your life? Fill out our nomination form here!