Being president of any organization on FSU’s campus comes with a certain level of pressure. However, when I interviewed Kate Lazarus, a junior at Florida State and the newly elected president of Alpha Omicron Pi (AOII), I saw a woman who appeared to thrive under the stress. AOII was re-established on the Florida State campus only a few weeks ago and with over 200 sisters as part of the Florida State chapter, the sorority is hitting the ground running. Luckily, as a sister of AOII, I was able to sneak the president away long enough for her to share her thoughts on AOII and re-establishing a sorority on the Florida State campus.
HC (HerCampus): Why, out of all the sororities on campus, did you decided to rush AOII?
Kate Lazarus (KL): Everything that AOII stands for internationally, as an organization, are the values I try to live my life by on a regular basis. Also, from the women I met that were visiting from other [AOII] chapters, I could tell that it was an extremely genuine and special sisterhood that lasted way beyond collegiate years.
HC: What made you decide to run for president of a sorority that just being established?
KL: I felt myself falling in love with AOII and I saw how much potential it had. I love being involved and with my past leadership experience I knew that I could lead AOII in the direction that I wanted to see it grow.
HC: Is there a certain amount of pressure you feel being a president of a newly established chapter?
KL: There is a lot of pressure because all eyes are on us, but at the same time the rest of the Greek community has been incredibly supportive! We have amazing advisors, great staff at the Greek life office, and tons of supportive sisters making my job easier. I know that in the end everything is on my shoulders, but with such a strong support system anything is possible.
HC: What do you hope for the future of AOII?
KL: I hope to see AOII grow to be a genuine, loving sisterhood made up of strong individual women. I hope to see all of my sisters involved on campus, and I hope to see our organization become extremely involved when it comes to supporting other Greek and non-Greek student organizations around campus. I want AOII to have a great reputation on campus for the sisters that make up the organization and in the ways that they give back to the community.
HC: You are not only involved in AOII but also numerous other organizations on campus. Can you describe some of them?
KL: Besides AOII, I am also currently involved with 3 other organizations. I am the vice-chair of the Student Organization Advisory and Resource Board, which acts as a resource to the over 600 recognized student organizations on campus. I am also on the RSO Review board, which helps make sure organizations abide by all of the university policies. Lastly, I am involved with Noles for Israel, which is a cultural and political group on campus.
HC: Do you have any advice for any other wannabe presidents?
KL: My first piece of advice: be confident in yourself. If you believe that you can lead the chapter, other people will too. I also think the more events you attend, the more you will fall in love with the organization, and the more others will notice your dedication. It’s really important to be the woman that embodies what your organization stands for and act in a way that you want your fellow sisters to emulate. My last piece of advice would be to make sure you are passionate and can make decisions in the best interest of the sisterhood as a whole. One of the biggest parts about being president is learning to remove yourself from the situation, but like I said before passion is the best motivation. If you are constantly giving off positive energy, people will want to be around you and be willing to put their trust in your hands.