Jenny Marcinkowski is a current Junior at TCNJ studying Political Science and obtaining a minor in Law, Politics, and Philosophy. She is from Carlstadt, New Jersey, and is the President of Delta Zeta Sorority. She is involved with the Pre-Law society and has two jobs on campus, one being a Student Intern for the Office of the General Counsel and a Desk Assistant for the Computer Science Department. Her Campus – TCNJ Trailblazers is highlighting Jenny for her important role within the Greek Community at TCNJ.
Jenny, President of Delta Zeta has done so much to bring the organization to new heights. She says her motivation for getting involved and holding such a significant role derives from how natural it was for her to get involved in the past and how positive her experiences in leadership were. She expressed that becoming the Panhellenic Delegate for Delta Zeta gave her a glimpse of what leadership looked like in a sorority and seeing the former Panhellenic delegate become President inspired me to do the same. Jenny describes her experience in her position in one word; Enlightening. She articulates, “being President has allowed me to learn so many life skills through working with each executive position, Nationals, and TCNJ”. She also depicts how many skills she has picked up from being in a sorority and not just in her leadership roles. Skills such as networking, event planning, time management, creating an agenda, and conflict resolution are all skills that will be beneficial in their career going forward.
When asked what the benefits of rushing a sorority Jenny responded, “transitioning from high school to college can be difficult and I think greek life helps tremendously with that change. You are able to find ‘your people’ and greek life makes college a little less scary”. As she continued she touched on how making friends is only one of the many benefits greek life provides. Jenny explained that being in a sorority has helped with her academics as she can network with others and also converse with sisters in the same major and get advice from older sisters on the same academic track. As Jenny previously stated, Sisterhood and finding “your people” is one of the most significant outcomes of being in a sorority. Jenny defines sisterhood as “supporting and uplifting other women to be the best versions of themselves and being there for each other not only in college but through every stage of their lives”. When asked how Delta Zeta practices sisterhood Jenny conveys that the sisterhood events held by Delta Zeta is her favorite way to embrace the sisterhood. She points out, “At our most recent sisterhood event, our Sisterhood Chair, Madison Mulhall did ‘Breakfast for Dinner’ where girls made and decorated waffles and celebrated birthdays in February. The school could be so hectic and moments like these allow us all to unwind and catch up on each other’s lives.” These events and more are what Jenny feels are some of the best things Delta Zeta has to offer and make the organization as tight-knit and close as it is.
While being in the Presidential role was quite enlightening for Jenny, she says she doesn’t feel like it’s changed her as much as it’s made her grow. She says her position has helped her become more assertive, and a better problem-solver and has allowed her to unlock traits that she didn’t think she had in her. Jenny’s best advice that she would give to any leader of an organization is that deadlines matter! She shares that time management skills are very important to obtain when in these positions. She says, “Deadlines sneak up so quickly on you and you don’t know what the semester will hold, so getting a head start at the beginning of the semester or during breaks is so important to ensure you won’t fall behind.” Jenny’s advice can be applied to every student whether or not they are in leadership positions or not.