If you are member of Greek life, this week’s celebrity is definitely a familiar face. Meet Taylor Gilman, the 21 year old senior from Newport, Rhode Island.
Gilman is a public relations major with a dual minor in communication and leadership studies. She is a member of Zeta Tau Alpha sorority and has served on the Panhellenic Council Executive Board for three semesters. She is also a Brand Ambassador for Dunkin’ Donuts and teacher’s assistant for a Human Development and Family Studies course on personal and organizational leadership.
The Panhellenic Council at URI serves as a governing board for the University’s ten Panhellenic Chapters. The board consists of 16 officers, six of which hold executive positions, who all have divided responsibilities that support the functioning of URI Greek Life’s four core values; scholarship, fellowship, leadership and service. Gilman joined the board during the spring semester of her junior year as VP of Programming and Philanthropy.
“My experience as the Vice President of Programming and Philanthropy on the Panhellenic Council has been more incredible than words could describe. Not only did I gain real life experience in my field and through what I am passionate about, but I also met so many incredible, motivated women, all from different chapters who ended up as sisters to me,” said Gilman. “Additionally, I met so many great guys through working with IFC, and I am grateful for the close-working relationship that our councils have, because not many other schools have that type of relationship. My programming partner became one of my best friends, and I know that the friendships I have made this past year will be life-long.”
At the start of her position, she reached out to the Student Alumni Association in hopes to program together for Homecoming 2014. Their collaboration resulted in a successful Nearly Naked Mile event, with participation of about 270 students, resulting in a donation of over 500 pounds of clothing to the local South County Jonnycake Center.
Gilman also played a role in fundraising efforts during Philanthropy Week last fall. A URI faculty member had a daughter who was suffering from Infant Fibrosarcoma. In just three days, the Greek Life Public Relations team put together a campaign called the “Violet Strong” campaign. The campaign was laughed on November 7, 2014 and by November 15, our community had raised just under $25,000 and by the end of the campaign on November 21, there was a total of $50,000 raised. Throughout the rest of the week, $20,000 was raised for local causes including the Jonny Cake Center, Liberty Lane boys home, and Rhody Outpost Emergency Food Pantry for URI students.
Another responsibility was to plan and oversee the 75th annual Greek Week, which took place in April. As a PR major with marketing experience, Gilman saw the marketing opportunity through the large numbers that Greek Week events attract, so she created a sponsorship package to pitch to local and national businesses. With the help of her partner, URI Greek Life ended up with four sponsors for the week including Monster Energy Drink, SUM Company, Get The Funk Out laundry center, and Kingston Pizza. Our community raised over $50,000 for South County Habitat for Humanity and with an anonymous Alumni donation, $100,000 was donated to Habitat for Humanity on behalf of URI Greek Life.
Gilman is grateful for the opportunities Greek life has given her.
“This experience has also grown my passion for serving others; not only through my philanthropic work, but also through leadership development of those I work with and interact with daily. I grew to realize how much older sisters impacted me to get to where I am today, and throughout this past year I have continuously offered help to others when I could and tried my best to empower others to be the best they can be. I truly believe college is a place where you can discover who you really are and what your values are, and I am so passionate about encouraging everyone to find these answers and take advantage of the opportunities the University has to offer. Everyone has a place here, but it is each individuals own responsibility to step out of their comfort zone and find that place for themselves.”
In addition to her involvement in Greek life, Gilman was also elected as one of four finalists for the 2015 Robert A. Rainville Servant Leadership Award. As she prepares for graduation, she is happy to announce that she has officially accepted a full-time position with Coca-Cola as a Market Develop Manager in Needham, Massachusetts. She is looking forward to the next chapter of her life and the amazing opportunies ahead.
Good luck, Taylor, you’re going to be great!