When I went to seek out Caroline LaDue and Shelby Mayner about writing a Campus Celebrity article on them, I was initially greeted by the sound of two perfect voices singing a Lady Antebellum song in one of the most breathtaking harmonies I’ve ever witnessed live.
As luck would have it, I’d walked in on both of them practicing a song they’d be singing during sorority recruitment. Now I know that everyone deep down thinks that they have the capability of becoming the next American Idol winner; even if at present the only audience they perform in front of is the wall of their shower. But Caroline and Shelby actually have the voices of angels.
Their ability to harmonize in perfect tune every heart wrenching and chilling melody that comes their way, never fails to give me goosebumps no matter how many times I witness it. I’m completely exaggerating when I say this, but I would sell my right arm to have their talent.
When I first met Caroline LaDue and Shelby Mayner I was just three weeks into my freshman year at Purdue University. I had just received my bid to Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and was still giddy with the excitement of being invited to join the house of my dreams, when I met these two lovely ladies. They were in the pledge class above me, and although there was only a one-year age difference between us, they seemed light-years ahead of me maturity wise (although let’s be honest, to a college freshman everyone seems astronomically more responsible than you).
I can clearly remember being blown away, even back then, by how put together and perfect these girls appeared. Not only were they both indisputably beautiful, but they held themselves with the air of confidence as young women wise beyond their years. I’m not going to lie; I wanted to be them.
Two years later and my opinion of them has not changed. If anything, over the years I’ve grown closer with both of them, my respect has only grown more. They both share a passion for serving others and their selflessness is so contagious that simply being around them makes others strive to be the best versions of themselves. And when they graduate from Purdue this coming spring, the university as a whole will feel their loss as these two are more involved both on and off campus than any other college females I know.
I kid you not when I say that one of their resumes could make up the size of three of the average college student’s combined. Both ladies are dedicated and hard-working nursing student in their senior years of Nursing School here at Purdue. I’ll honestly miss both these girls more than words can express come spring when they’re both forced to graduate this splendid university, but the positive impact that they’ve both left on this campus will be a remaining reminder of both these lady’s fantastic models of living.
To divulge into what exactly makes both these women so outstanding, I’ll have to initially begin by gushing about them both separately. So here it goes.
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Shelby is honestly one of the most personable and compassionate people I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing, so its not surprise that she’s already such an amazing nurse. She has been recognized as an Honors Student at Purdue University and as a Golden Key Member of the International Academic Honor Society at Purdue University.
As of late, she has worked as a student nurse volunteer at three different local hospitals and most recently she has become a Patient Care Intern at Riley Children’s Hospital. I don’t know about you, but just the idea of blood makes me extremely squeamish, so I have mad respect for anyone who can work in a hospital on such a regular basis. Especially at this stage in our lives when visiting the bars or being lazy with friends usually sounds so much more appealing.
On top of her volunteering Shelby has been extremely involved in Purdue’s Boiler Gold Rush, holding the positions of BGR supervisor and leader. And on top of this, she is a Purdue Dance Marathon Committee member. Dance Marathon is a charity event to raise money for Indianapolis Riley Children’s Hospital. Students stand on their feet for 18 hours (no sitting allowed), which in and of itself is a huge feat… I mean, I can barely go without sitting for ten minutes.
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Caroline’s accomplishments correlate pretty impressively with Shelby as she too is a practicing student nurse and has spent more hours in a hospital than the average human being. She’s interned at Community Hospital North in Indianapolis as well as IU Hospital Clarian Arnett in Lafayette, Indiana.
Within our sorority of Kappa Kappa Gamma, Caroline is the Vice President of Standards. Which essentially means that she keeps the law and order running smoothly within our house- not always an easy task to accomplish.
However, what with Caroline’s amazing singing voice, outgoing personality, and dazzling good looks, she’s also volunteered herself to be entered into several campus pageants and talent shows. And this past year she was able to bring home the gold trophy for winning the annual Greek Goddess philanthropy.
I know it seems that I just rattled off both Shelby and Caroline’s resumes or something, so all seriousness and qualifications aside, I can honestly say that these two breeds of ladies do not simply come around everyday. To find two friends that both set such an amazing example of what a well-rounded and classy young woman of the 21st century should portray themselves as is a rare occurrence. And I feel lucky to call them my friends and sisters.
College is obviously a huge transitioning time in your life and I know that personally, sometimes I falter to keep on the right track. This is why I believe that every girl needs a young woman whom they can idolize and emulate as a way to improve upon and set higher expectations for themselves. And I feel extremely lucky to say that I have found such a relationship with these two ladies.