Alumni Newsletter SPRING 2012 Kappa Alpha PI

A SORORITY GIRL IN A FRATERNITY WORLD
BY: Taylor Cross | UPSILON Pledge Class
Walking to Monday meeting, Shelby casually
asked, “Oh yeah, did you want to go to that pre-law
thing tomorrow night?”. I accepted the offer, imagining
a presentation made
by one or two people in a
lecture hall.
Star-
OOPS
ing at
m y
closet the next
evening, I tried to
picture a business
casual outfit.
Images of
Carie Bradshaw
came to mind:
cute heals, a
skirt, and some sort
of blazer. Accordingly
I put on my six-inch nude
pumps, cream pencil skirt,
burnt orange button-up, and
grey blazer. Showing up to rush,
I quickly realized that it was not going
to be anything like I had imagined. Here I was
thinking I would be able to sit anonymously in the
back of a presentation. The realization that I would
be standing in my shoes for three hours hurt my soul,
as well as the soles of my feet. However, the speeddating
style of rush entertained me so much that
I did not even think about my feet. These people
were so diverse and accomplished that they made
me feel mundane and unprepared for life. They
were who I wanted, and needed, to be. Freshman
year was fun, but I needed to get my life aimed in
the right direction: law school.
My work and class schedule forced me to
sign up for the very first interview slot, Thursday at
9 am. Again channeling my inner Carie, I selected
the same heals to wear to the interview. This
time paired with high-waisted dress pants, a colorful
striped blouse, and a navy blue cardigan. We were
instructed to bring three copies of our resume, but
being the overachiever that I am, I brought four. I
was proud to slide one copy to each of my interviewers;
my resume was sunflower-scented with my
name and the headers printed in eye-catching coral
ink. It gave it something extra, don’t you think?
Needless to say, I have now realized the
error(s) of my ways. Carie Bradshaw’s wardrobe is
the farthest thing from professional. A resume like
Elle Woods’ will not gain you admittance to a prestigious
law school or give you credibility with employers.
My most important accessories have become
my pledge pin and binder. People who used
to be fifteen strangers have become my brothers.
This process has taught me so much about professionalism,
brotherhood, and philanthropy; it has also
taught me about myself.
Retreat cemented Kappa Alpha Pi in my
memory as an experience that can never be repeated,
substituted, or forgotten. Though we did
not know each other very well at the time, I believe
that the Upsilons elected individuals to the positions
which suit each person’s unique personality and skillset
very well. I had the honor of being elected President
of my pledge class, and it has truly been one of
the most rewarding experiences I have ever had.
The Upsilons have earned the reputation of
being a pledge class which is prone to injury/illness.
Simply beginning at retreat, we were all slightly infected
with a cold. For the social event held that
following Thursday, one of our Social Chairs broke
her elbow the day before. Carie and
Talea (our social chairs) were able
to coordinate an amazingly fun ice
cream social, complete with original
games, despite the injury. Somehow
we managed to make it to our next
event, Professional Night, without another
brother finding themselves in
harm’s way. Kaite and Hector (our Professional
Chairs) hosted a professional
night which was expertly executed,
coordinated down to the last cup of
water. Our next big extravaganza as a
pledge class was the Mock Trial.
As I have never participated in anything
remotely similar to a mock trial, it
intimidated me beyond belief. Luckily,
three of my Upsilon pledge brothers
have been actively involved in mock
trial since high school. Phil and Katie
were both cast as attorneys for the defense,
while Shezaf was cast as an at-
torney for the prosecution (these
three being those with previous
mock trial experience). As Phil
stated, “it [didn’t] matter that
we’re on opposing sides we [had]
to help each other out.” And we
did just that; as a pledge class we
dedicated countless collective
hours preparing both sides of the
case. In the end, the verdict was
inconsequential. We all learned
to value each other’s strengths
and help our pledge brothers improve
in their areas of weakness.
Throughout the entire pledging
process, we have had multiple
brothers have to call in sick for
individual events or workshops.
But one single brother has proven
her strength and dedication to the
“OH YEAH, DID YOU WANT TO GO TO THAT PRE-LAW THING TOMORROW NIGHT?”
UPSILONS....AND THEIR SHENANIGANS
UPSILON PROFESSIONAL EVENT: “WHAT CAN I DO WITH A LAW DEGREE?”
3 4
process above all others. Ashley had to be rushed
to the hospital before our last Mock Trial workshop
and has not been physically capable of returning
since. However, this has not halted or even slowed
her participation in our pledge class. As one of the
fundraising chairs, she and Shezaf have worked
tirelessly to ensure that we not only meet our fundraising
goal, but exceed it. I am proud to call such
strong and dedicated individuals my brothers.
Our Brotherhood Chair, Joey, said it best: “Our
pledge class is like a machine. If you take out just
one of the parts it won’t work right anymore.” We
have persevered through illness and injury. We have
hosted professional and social events. We have interviewed
countless actives and aced the hardest
of tests. We have sported mint-green t-shirts and
modeled professional attire. We have even tried
one of our own for murder. Through the pledging
process we have formed a bond closer than friendship:
brotherhood.