Name: Leah Burkett
Year: Senior
Hometown: Tampa, FL
Age: 21
Major: Political Science and International Affairs with a concentration in Public Administration
Her Campus (HC): What made you choose Florida State University?
Leah Burkett (LB): I decided to go to Florida State because I was born and raised as a Seminole. My sister went there, my parents went there, basically everyone in my family went to Florida State. Being a Gator meant disownment; it meant death. So, it was expected of me to go there too.
HC: Did you always know that this was what you wanted to do in the future?
LB: No, most definitely not. I didn’t know that this is what I wanted to do in the future, but my parents always knew. I honestly chose my major on a whim, but it’s also a possibility that my parents pressuring me into this major had something to do with it too.
HC: You’re officially a senior. How does that feel?
LB: Terrifying. Absolutely terrifying. I have to be a real adult and I don’t feel ready. I’ll have two degrees, but I feel like there’s so much more for me to learn. Maybe I’ll try for a third, so I don’t have to leave.
Courtesy: Leah Burkett
HC: I know you’re very involved with Phi Sigma Pi. What was it about the fraternity that made you want to join?
LB: My sister was in it before me so that’s how I originally found out about it. So, because I already knew what PSP was about and knew people in it before joining. It seemed like the obvious choice. And as a lonely freshman with no friends it was the perfect place to strengthen my involvement and find a place where I can belong.
HC: What would you tell students that might be interested in joining Phi Sigma Pi?
LB: PSP is a great way to get involved on campus and meet a wide variety of people outside of your major with different interests and push you out of your comfort zone. It’s also a great way to find a home on campus, a family, a lineage, and it can help refine you as a leader in a community, in a group, and yourself. It’s a great place to help you grow into an adult.
HC: What advice do you have for someone who wants to get more involved at FSU? Maybe a freshman?
LB: Find what interests you whether it be sports, video games, or a TV show. There’s a club for literally everything and once you find that niche, you find a good group of friends.