“Surround yourself with people who believe in you more than you do in yourself.” -Gaby Natale
Meet Meklit Bekele! She is a Sophomore, Healthcare Management major and Business Administration Minor.
1.What do you do?
“I am a sister and Diversity Chair of Delta Phi Epsilon.”
2.When did you start doing it?
“I joined DPhiE last spring and it’s been a whirlwind of an experience since, I’ve got to meet so many amazing girls as well as become the sororities Diversity chair. Being Diversity chair has really helped me become more of an outgoing person, because of the different people I have to contact from different organizations and having to do presentations in front of my 140-sorority sisters. The position has really given me an opportunity to put myself out there.”
3.What sparked your interest?
“What sparked the interest to become Diversity chair for DPhiE was seeing how diverse my sorority was compared to others on campus. Being able to be apart of such a large group of different cultures and ethnic backgrounds gave me a push to help lead my sorority to become not only visually diverse but mentally as well. I wanted to make sure that DPhiE wasn’t just seen as a diverse organization because of our different backgrounds but because we believe that everyone is equal no matter our differences.”
4.How can someone else get involved with this activity?
“I think that one thing many girls don’t realize is that Greek life isn’t as stereotypical as its made out to be in movies and TV shows. If anyone had told me the summer going into my freshmen year of college that I would be in a sorority I would’ve laughed in their face. But because I took the opportunity to give Greek life a chance I actually got to find my home within Towson.”
5.Do you have any tips for someone wanting to get involved?
“Go to interest meetings; don’t be afraid to show your face at events because that’s where you meet people. 4 years from today you’re not going to remember all the times you sat in your dorm room with a box of pizza re-watching How I Met Your Mother, but you’ll remember the time you made lunch bags for the homeless with friends or the time you became apart of something bigger than yourself.”
6.How has this created connection for your personally/ how has it made you grow as a person?
“Getting more involved in campus has definitely brought me out of my shell more and helped me meet some amazing people along the way. I’m still learning more and more about myself everyday, and im growing day by day as well. One thing that I’ve also been working on that is very near and dear to my heart, is my recent health kick. Joining DPhiE has of course shown me that I am beautiful no matter my shape or size, but it’s also made me realize that it doesn’t matter my size or shape but my health both physically and mentally. Since joining DPhiE I have taken time to really work on both my physical and mental health. I’m learning to become more of a positive person and look at things in more of a light hearted way. I’m taking the opportunity to teach myself how to eat better and use my physical health as a way to better my mental health. Since May of 2016 I have successfully dropped 40 pounds (and counting) and I have never felt so comfortable in my body like I do now. I feel like the weight loss has helped me become more confident about myself physically but also in a mental way as well. I’m growing as a person and going through the process of learning how to love me for who I am. We all struggle with inner demons inside of us but that’s what we are here for, to be able to find different ways to conquer those demons and become our best self. That is what getting more involved has taught me.”
7.Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
“I hope to see myself in a stable career in 5 years, doing what I love to do. I hope that whatever it is I am doing in 5 years that I am happy.”
8.What do you want people to take away from this interview?
“I think the best way to get your best experience in college is to go out and try new things even if you aren’t the kind of person to put yourself out there like me. You never know what you’re going to learn about yourself or whom you are going to meet without trying new things in life. Get out there and get involved!”
Thanks Meklit!
HCXO!