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(Mallory Golski//photo courtesy of Mallory)
Meet Mallory Golski, a sophomore at Ohio University studying Journalism. You may know her as the Christmas-spirited Elf or as the current Delta Zeta president.
What made you decide to go Greek?
When I was in high school, I took people’s advice to get involved very seriously— I was in student council, a member of the swim team and a member of my high school’s television class, just to name a few organizations in which I was a part. Being involved and developing really close friendships is all fine and dandy until you graduate and then panic because you feel like you spent all of this time cultivating these friendships just to be whisked away from those people when you go your separate ways for college. I decided to go Greek because I knew that I would immediately be welcomed into a new group of tight-knit friendships that would quickly become my family away from home. As cliché as it sounds, my sisters truly have become the people who I turn to first whenever I’m homesick, need help with homework or just need someone to hang out with.
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What has been your favorite sorority memory so far?
My favorite memory from my time in Delta Zeta happened in December of 2015. I randomly came up with the idea to dress up in Christmassy attire and frolic around campus recreating scenes from the movie Elf. When I put the video on Facebook and Twitter, I really only expected my mom and a few close friends to like and share it. However, within an hour of posting it, I had a few hundred views, all thanks to almost everyone in Delta Zeta sharing it and sending it to their families and friends back home. My Gbig, Isabelle, took it upon herself to get my video on Total Sorority Move— she helped me figure out how to submit the video to the website and less than a week later, TSM posted the link and I started getting tons of notifications from people who I didn’t even know who were sharing my video. I can honestly say that my goofy video would not have gotten 18,000+ views if it were not for my sorority; it truly made me realize that I joined a group of girls who allowed me to comfortably be myself without feeling like I had to impress anybody.
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What made you decide to run for president?
When I first joined Delta Zeta, I was introduced to Brynne Crawley, who was president at the time. Brynne— as many girls in Delta Zeta can testify to— is one of the most bubbly, enthusiastic and passionate people who you will ever meet. Whether she is leading a chapter meeting, assisting with recruitment or hosting an impromptu game night, she doesn’t just command and dictate orders; she inspires everyone around her to take a genuine interest in whatever they are doing and ultimately want to be just as passionate as she is. While I had been class president and student council president in high school, it wasn’t until I met Brynne that I started to consider running for president of my sorority. Ultimately, I decided to run because I want to inspire the current members of Delta Zeta as well as future new members to get involved, be themselves and leave an impact on the chapter long after we move away from Athens.
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What has been the most challenging part?
The biggest challenge of being president so far has to be remembering to spend as much time on my school work as I spend on the sorority. It sounds crazy, but the number of emails, phone calls and meetings that I’ve had to attend so far really makes this position feel like a full-time job! I love every minute of it, though.
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What has been the most exciting part of your position?
Like I said, I really have loved every single minute of being president so far— I love communicating with people from Nationals, leading chapter meetings and helping to plan different events that we have coming up. I’d have to say the most exciting part about becoming president so far would have to be the moment when I found out that I had been elected because I knew that I had made enough of an impact on the rest of the chapter to earn their trust and I knew that I had so many new experiences to look forward to during my time as president.
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What is one goal you have for your time as president?
My #1 goal as president is to maintain a positive attitude throughout my entire term. I’m sure that by the end of the year I will be ready for a break from the stress, but I hope that I will still be smiling as I compose every email and attend every meeting— if I can’t lead the chapter with enthusiasm, there’s no way that everyone else can maintain a positive outlook, either.
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What else are you involved in on campus?
I work as the student videographer for Advancement Communication and Marketing at Ohio University. I also am a member of Ed 2010 and WOUB.
(Mallory alongside a fellow DZ sister//photo courtesy of Mallory)