Name: Danielle McBroom
Hometown: West Palm Beach, FL
Major: Industrial Engineering
Year: Junior
Her Campus (HC): How long have you been a Phi Mu sister?
Danielle McBroom (DM): I have been a Phi Mu sister since I was a freshman, so this will be my third year.
HC: What are some other organizations are you involved with on campus?
DM: I am in the Honors Society, the Industrial Engineering Club and Dance Marathon.
HC: Do you have any leadership positions within these organizations?
DM: I am a morale captain in Dance Marathon. Basically, we just make sure that everyone is in a good mood and is happy, and if someone is having a hard time, then we help him or her out.
HC: When you were a freshman, what made you decide to rush?
DM: It was a peer pressure decision; a lot of my girlfriends were doing it, and they were like, “The worst thing that happens is you don’t like it.” So I went through and ended up liking it a lot. I am so thankful for them because I don’t know where I would be right now if I hadn’t rushed.
HC: That’s probably the first positive outcome to peer pressure ever.
DM: Absolutely!
HC: How would you say that being a part of Phi Mu has benefitted you?
DM: I honestly don’t think that I had gotten the most out of it until my sophomore year. My freshman year I was still figuring myself out, and now I think many of my older sisters have pushed me to do things. I probably would have never applied for this position if it wasn’t for older girls saying, “You have such good leadership skills!” They really helped me reach my full potential instead of me never really harnessing that potential. Now, I am searching for opportunities instead of waiting for them to come to me.
HC: Could you explain what the event is and some general details about it?
DM: Our fall philanthropy event is called Phright Night. It’s located at a haunted house called Terror of Tallahassee. The owner lets us use the house for two nights out of October. All of the actors are sisters. When you finish the walk, there are games, food, raffles, etc.
HC: Last year I actually went to it, and the theme was zombies. Is there a new theme to it this year?
DM: Kind of. There are three sections to the house: the first part is a zombie/living-dead kind theme, the second is an outside maze and then there is a clown section. (Which is even scarier considering the clown situation that’s been going on everywhere.) This year, instead of doing the insane asylum, we are actually doing the Purge. So it’s going to be a lot more masks and weapons (not real), but we are hoping that amps it up.
HC: Where can people buy tickets for the event?
DM: You can purchase one through a Phi Mu sister. We’ll be having events where we table in front of our house, and you can just walk by and purchase a ticket. Closer to the event, we will have girls wearing their letters so you can buy a ticket from them. We are creating a Venmo account this year, so if you don’t have cash on you, you can still purchase a ticket right there. You can still buy the ticket at the event, but it’s just a little more expensive: ten dollars normally and twelve at the door with your FSU ID.
HC: So you’re raising money for the Children’s Miracle Network. Could you expand a little bit more on that?
DM: Phi Mu’s national philanthropy is Children’s Miracle hospitals, and our local hospital is Shands. Before Phright Night, it was hard to raise enough money to feel like we were making a difference. Now with this event, something that is already so popular after only one year, we’re hoping that it is something that we can continue to grow and raise just as much money as our spring philanthropy and Dance Marathon.
HC: Do you have a goal set in mind?
DM: My goal is to raise $20,000. It sounds like a lot, but I think it’s doable.
HC: Do you have a plan of action for that?
DM: I do. I have reached out to over 40 companies to sponsor or be a beneficiary to the event so they would donate to the cause and in return we give recognition to them on our t-shirts and our banners. That kind of helps add a lump sum to the total, and for the outside booths, we are trying to have more interactive booths so people feel more comfortable to drop a dollar to play cornhole or put their name in for a raffle. I’m trying to make it more enjoyable and friendly so everyone feels comfortable at the event.
HC: You already mentioned that your older sisters pushed you to take on opportunities and such, but why did you want this position?
DM: I helped a lot with it last year; we actually had to build the outside maze with the owner. I kid you not, we worked the entire day. I was there from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. drilling, sawing, everything! After that, I just felt rewarded, and I love Halloween and have loved it since I was a little girl. Even my birthday is in October, so Phright Night is just something that I could put a lot of passion into and not have it be a chore and more of a hobby.
HC: What are your duties for the event?
DM: Basically, I am in charge of a budget and with that I have to purchase our tickets, come up with the t-shirt design, come up with the overall premise and advertise our event. I’m in charge of casting people to be actors in the house, and I’m also in charge of finding security, getting food for the event, setting up for the event and all the little logistic details.
HC: Do you have any helpers or are you by yourself?
DM: I do. I have an assistant-she’s awesome. Her name is Crystal, and she has been a huge help! She knows a lot of people who have helped us with t-shirt design stuff because I am not artsy at all. So I’ve been thankful to have that side with help because I am a hot mess when it comes to that. I also have a committee of over 40 girls that I can go to for assistance.
HC: Do you have a favorite memory from last year’s Phright Night?
DM: I was a clown last year, so I was in the house both nights. I think just overall being in the house was so much fun, and I didn’t think that I could do it-I really thought that I was going to break character and laugh. Once I set foot in the house something took over me; I had a straight face the entire time. It was just fun because I don’t like being scared. It was almost nice to be on the other side because it made me appreciate being a “scarer” since you have to plan your timing right.
HC: Were there any super funny reactions that you had?
DM: Yes, I really liked it when I was able to scare a guy. It’s hard because they all know that we are all girls, so it was nice to see them jump and scream. It was funny, but I couldn’t laugh.