Meet the Leadership Council: Alpha Omicron Pi

Sixteen incredible sisters make up the Leadership Council for the biggest sorority on campus, Alpha Omicron Pi! See what they had to say when I interviewed them:

Trisha Sobrino 

• AOII Position: Chapter President 
• Major/Minor: Elementary and Special Education Double Major 
• Hometown: Bethesda, MD 
• Favorite SJU Experience so far: My favorite SJU experience so far is tutoring and working with students at Gompers Elementary School.  
• Favorite Song/Artist at the moment and why: My favorite song right now is L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N by Noah and the Whale because it is very happy and optimistic. 

Erin Chandler 

• AOII Position: Vice President of Administration
• Major/Minor: Education
• Hometown: West Chester, PA
• Favorite SJU Experience so far:Getting my bid from AOII and getting elected in to our LC!
• Favorite Song/Artist at the moment:Love Me Like You Do by Ellie Goulding!

Becky Tashkulova 

• AOII Position: Panhellenic Delegate
• Major/Minor: Business Administration and Political Science double major
• Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
• Favorite SJU Experience so far: Meeting all of my sisters and finding a home away from home. 
• Favorite Song/Artist at the moment: Sugar by Maroon 5. It’s upbeat and puts in a good mood every time I listen to it!

Caitlin Smith 

• AOII Position: Greek Delegate
• Major/Minor: Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing
• Hometown: Pottstown, Pavorite
• Favorite SJU Experience so far: Getting my big and little, of couse!
• Favorite Song/Artist at the moment: Ed Sheeran because he has the voice of an angel and I could listen to him all day, every day and never get tired of it…actually, sometimes I do.

Rachel Troxell

• AOII Position: Vice President of Academic Development
• Major/Minor: Chemistry
• Hometown: Pine Grove, PA.
• Favorite SJU Experience so far: Going to Jonestown, Mississippi with Collegiate Challenge to build houses with Habitat for Humanity, and getting to be a trip leader this year.
• Favorite Song/Artist at the moment: “Homegrown” by Zac Brown Band because it reminds me of home and summertime.

Ryan Lofland

• AOII Position: Vice President of Communications
• Major/Minor: Communications Major
• Hometown: Dallas, Texas
• Favorite SJU Experience so far: I’m going to say everytime someone holds a door open for someone else. Everyone does that here! It’s so nice!
• Favorite Song/Artist at the moment: Okay, wow, great question. Right now I’m digging- “No.1 Party Anthem” by Arctic Monkey

Julia Swatek 

• AOII Position: Secretary
• Major/Minor: Interdisciplinary Health Services/ Biology
• Hometown: Wyckoff, NJ
• Favorite SJU Experience so far: I have loved being involved in weekly service
• Favorite Song/Artist at the monent: I am a huge John Mayer fan and one of my favorite songs by him is “No Such Thing”

Kelsey Withrow 

• AOII Position: New Member Educator
• Major/Minor: Double Major in Elementary Education (pre k-4) and Special Education (pre k-8)
• Hometown: Malvern, PA
• Favorite SJU Experience so far: Meeting all the people, it sounds super cheesy but I’ve met some of my best friends here.
• Favorite Song/Artist at the moment and why: I Wanna Dance with Somebody by Whitney Houston (RIP) will forever and always be my favorite song.

Nicole Geraci (pictured on right)

• AOII Position: Vice President of Standards
• Major/Minor: Criminal Justice Major
• Hometown: Long Island, New York
• Favorite SJU Experience so far: would be living on fourth floor Villiger freshman year. Our hall was pretty close and always up to something. It’s how I met my best friends here at Saint Joes!
• Favorite Song/Artist at the moment: My favorite song will always be “Hey Brother” by Avicii. From October 2012-November 2014 my older sister served in the Peace Crops on an island called Vanuatu. It was really hard to be so far from her. One day she messaged all of my siblings the link to the song and said she felt it fit us and called it our sibling anthem. Not too long after I tattooed the part “water’s sweet but blood is thicker” on my side for my four siblings

Maria Krup (pictured on right)

• AOII Position: Vice President of Chapter Development
• Major/Minor: Double Major, Early Elementary & Special Education
• Hometown: North Caldwell, New Jersey
• Favorite SJU Experience so far: Being a Nu Chi during the Spring 2015 Formal Recruitment!
• Favorite Song/Artist at the moment: I can’t stop listening to Now & Forever by Drake! It’s also a good song to run to!

Emily Morse 

• AOII Position: Philanthropy Chair
• Major/Minor: Leadership, Ethics & Organizational Sustainability with a Gender Studies minor
• Hometown: Mattapoisett, MA
• Favorite SJU Experience so far: Getting my littles!!
• Favorite Song/Artist at the moment: Taylor Swift because I will forever be obsessed with 1989

Mary Claire McNamara 

• AOII Positon: Vice President of Education
• Major/Minor:  International Business and Marketing double major
• Hometown: Silver Spring, MD
• Favorite SJU Experience so far: I just got back from a semester abroad in Galway, Ireland and I loved every single second! But that sounds pretty terrible that my favorite SJU experience is something that technically didn’t take place at SJU, so I’m going to go with APEX! It is so fun and I’ve met some of my best friends from it. Everyone should do APEX at least once!
• Favorite Song/Artist at the moment: alt-J! Their music is a little funky and indie but its so catchy. I love Breezeblocks, Left Hand Free, and Hunger of the Pine. Definitely worth checking out.

Casey McBride 

• AOII Positon: Vice President of Membership Recruitment
• Major/Minor: Marketing Major, Communications Minor
• Hometown: Fanwood, NJ
• Favorite SJU Experience so far: Looking back, my favorite SJU experience to date was receiving my bid to Alpha Omicron Pi because I have changed more (for the better) in the past year than I have my entire life because of such an incredible organization of truly remarkable women.
• Favorite Song/Artist at the moment: Blank Space by Taylor Swift because Taylor is always my go to no matter what.

Jen Rice 

• AOII Positon: Chapter Treasure
• Major/ Minor: Finance
• Hometown: Pt. Pleasant, NJ
• Favorite SJU Experience so far: My favorite SJU experience so far has been joining AOII because I have made so many friends, gained leadership skills I didn’t know I had, and have a newfound confidence in myself.
• Favorite Song/Artist at the moment: My favorite song at the moment is “Uptown Funk” by Bruno Mars because who doesn’t have that song stuck in their head all day? 

Mary Kate Catalino 

• AOII Positon: Keeper of the Ritual
• Major/Minor: Marketing
• Hometown: Blue Bell, PA
• Favorite SJU Experience so far: I always have a great time in the student sections of the basketball games! I chose SJU for the school spirit and each time I’m at a game I remember Freshman year SJU beat Temple by one point and everyone in Hagan was on their feet! It was incredible. Hands down the best experience because it validated my decision. 
• Favorite Song/Artist at the moment: Four-Five Seconds because every one should live by the motto “woke up an optimist, sun was shining I’m positive”

Delaney Heenan 

• AOII Positon: Social Chair
• Major/Minor: Accounting and Finance
• Hometown: Ocean City, NJ
• Favorite SJU Experience so far: Having the opportunity to go to Mississippi with Collegiate Challenge!
• Favorite Song/Artist at the moment: Opposite of Adults by Chiddy Bang because some days I just don’t want to grow up !

HCXO