A LETTER FROM OUR PRESIDENT
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If you had asked me 2 years ago, when I was an unaffiliated pre-med freshman what I’d be doing my Junior year, I would’ve answered with full confidence that I’d be in a lab, or in a pre-health frat, or studying for the MCAT; doing something on my journey to becoming a heart surgeon. If someone had told me 4 years ago that I’d be banging pots and pans together singing about an ivy leaf during recruitment, or making sure 169 Alpha Phis feel immersed in and supported by our community…I would’ve cackled.
3 years ago I was sure of two things – 1. That I’d spend a lifetime fixing hearts, and 2. That I’d never be in a sorority.
My first 2 quarters of freshman year at SCU were nothing shy of fun and exciting, but by Spring Quarter I couldn’t deny that something was missing from my college experience. Coming to SCU from an all-girls school with countless beloved traditions where I had the privilege of feeling the love and empowerment of such a community, it didn’t take me long to realize just what was missing. The third week of Spring Quarter, I called my mom full of regret, and told her that I should’ve listened and formally rushed. It was 2 days later that the girl I ran track with in high school, who ended up being one of my sorority Presidents, the girl I met during Psych 2, who would be my future big, and the girl I met in Psych 1, who would end up being one of my best friends all texted me saying they threw my name in for COB. One week later, my life changed for the better, and I became an Alpha Phi. Little did I know that despite my best efforts, all along there was some invisible string pulling my heart so much closer to all of my lovely Alpha Phis.
Hi, my name is Courtney Bell, I’ve had the privilege and honor of serving as the former Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, as well as the current Chapter President of the Zeta Gamma Chapter of Alpha Phi here at Santa Clara. Right now I’m sure of two things – 1. That I will absolutely not spend my life fixing hearts, rather the law instead, and 2. Joining this sorority is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
To me, being President doesn’t only mean leading meetings, submitting forms, and making fun and tough decisions. It means being a shoulder to cry on, a person you can rely on, a safe person within a safe space, and someone to share in the largest of laughs.
Whether it be screaming our songs at the top of our lungs, serving our community together, or raising over $1,000,000 for women’s heart health through the Alpha Phi Foundation, Alpha Phi has continued to put even more joy in all of life’s finest moments that I’ve shared with my fellow sisters, and for that, I thank my chapter, my advisors, and all of the Alpha Phis past and present.
Alpha Phi is an organization that I am beyond proud to be a part of. It’s a place full of hardworking, caring members who come from all over the world with diverse interests and perspectives, a place where every individual is inspired to be the very best version of themselves. Here you can find future doctors, lawyers, engineers, politicians, and military operatives all bound by our shared Alpha Phi values of strength, scholarship, service, and loyalty. The members of Alpha Phi continue to astonish me and motivate me to the greatest lengths.
Words cannot do justice to how blessed and thankful I am that I found a home in Alpha Phi. As President, I hope to continue to make Alpha Phi your home away from home the way it was made for me. While I may never be a heart surgeon, I hope to stitch all of our heartstrings closer together in all that we do here. Alpha Phi, in ways big and small, has welcomed me with open arms and filled a hole inside my heart, so it is my utmost desire to help it continue to do the same for all of you.
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Love,
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Courtney Bell
Chapter President