Friends – College Admission at Loyola

Loyola’s Multicultural Greek Council

By Jessica Xi | April 26, 2016

It seems like every American knows about sororities and fraternities, and the not-always-positive image of them that exists because of movies like Neighbors and Legally Blonde. People see them as white, full of, well, the type of people whose appropriate adjectives I can’t type in my position as an employee for my school. Of course, most of it is untrue and illogical. There are always exceptions, but Greek life as a whole has been changing over the past twenty years for the better and better.

So, you might be aware of those sort of stereotypical sororities and fraternities, but did you know there is also many, many Greek-letter organizations that are not historically white? Alpha Phi Alpha was created in 1906, the first black fraternity in America. From then on, Greek organizations have been created and oriented more multi-culturally. They’re all similar to Panhellenic groups, but with a few differences that span across them all.

Multicultural Greek Organizations have traditions like stepping, strolling, calls, and reveal shows of new members that all contribute to the community of multiculturalism and pride in the organization. The Try Guys of Buzzfeed recently learned Stepping with UC’s Alpha Phi Alpha Chapter, and you can check it out right here. They also don’t have a combined Recruitment Weekend like Panhellenic and IFC organizations do, but rather usually hold free events over a course of two weeks.

Loyola has it’s own Multicultural Greek Council. None of them are exclusively for members of one race or ethnicity or another, but rather reflect why they were founded and seek to continue those values. And usually, they’re a lot smaller than the 150+ members in other sororities and fraternities.

We have Delta Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc, as well as Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc, and Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc. Delta Phi Lambda is the only Asian-interest sorority on campus, while Lambda Theta Alpha is predominantly Latina. Alpha Kappa Alpha and Delta Sigma Theta are both historically African-American, but that doesn’t mean that if you aren’t, you can’t join!

As for fraternities, we’ve got Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and Alpha Psi Lambda National, Inc., which is a co-ed Latinx fraternity. Alpha Phi Alpha and Kappa Alpha Psi are historically African-American as well.

I know what you’re thinking – that’s a lot of words and groups that mean nothing to you right now. Loyola has a policy that means you can’t join a sorority or fraternity your first semester freshman year, no matter which, so there’s no need to go comparing everyone on campus right now.

But this is my advice to you: keep your eyes open and your mind even more so. Even if you wouldn’t consider yourself ‘multi-cultural,’ you’re not excluded. You might just find a something new – whether it’s a whole new family, a changing experience, or a new favorite food.

(that’s something I love a lot about Loyola. All the groups are selling food 24/7. score for me, the churro-lover.)

Dream Goals

By | March 15, 2015

There are so many things I want to do in my life. Everyone has their own dreams and aspirations. Sometimes there can be occurrences when those hopes and dreams might seem merely impossible to accomplish. After trying so hard to get to a certain point, at times I find myself lost and surrendered. BUT, I have not given up entirely yet on my goals. I always pick myself up and try to get through the hardship and challenges because I know that it will all pay off in the end.

Firstly, I want to be a doctor (neonatologist to be exact). If I cannot handle the pressures and schooling, I still want to work in the medical field, just not as a doctor. I do not know what position I want to take, but nonetheless, I want to help patients in any way I can.

Secondly, I want a family (not now, but in the future). Just by knowing I want to be a neonatologist, you can tell that I love kids. My kids will live a happier life and I want them to enjoy all the things I could not enjoy as a kid myself (like living on campus, going to summer camps, sleepovers, etc).

Third, I want to build, open, and run a elementary school in Vietnam for underprivileged children and adults (who never got a proper education). As a Vietnamese, I know a lot of things about these people; they live at the poverty level and all the money they make goes to educating their children. In this country, education is more/less the most important aspect that the people praise. I know of a couple of families who are going through this and I wish I could do something for them now, but I can’t do enough to make a difference.

Fourth, I want to travel the world. Many people travel in the typical tourist-like fashion and enjoy themselves in luxury. For me, I want to travel to the places that do not get much attention, especially health-wise. If I can, I want to help treat or diagnose people who have illnesses and do not have the means to healthcare. Besides that, I want to meet the real people of the places I visit, free from all the modern, touristy places. From there, I get to understand the culture and lifestyle so much better.

Fifth, I want to find lifelong friends. I want to find those that enjoy everything about me and vise versa. It is simply amazing when you and others can talk for hours and hours about any topic at all and still have fun.

I know that I’m a picky person and I know there is a lot of “I” and “wants” in this blog post, but generally speaking, the things I would like to have is not so materialistic or centered strictly to me. Rather, my life revolves around others with their well-being, their health, and emotions.

Here’s a quick video that shows a good picture of what I mean (there are English subtitles):

Inspirations

By | March 3, 2015

From people to TV shows to hobbies, there are many things and people that truly inspire me. I find myself motivated to get through everyday hardships and challenges because of these inspirations.

FRIENDS

Here at Loyola, I have found several close friends I can consider life-long. Each person has a unique personality that everyone adores; we all are compatible and extremely amicable. We all met within a week before first semester of fall and have been close ever since. One of these friends was my first college friend I met during orientation. After hours, we were consistently talking and found a surprising amount of similarities. Another friend has an exuberant demeanor that loves animals and enjoys morbid topics; nonetheless we all love him. Two of these girls both are well-rounded and so intelligent; they are caring and are wonderful examples of peacemakers. All in all, these people help me enjoy going to school and inspire me to succeed academically and socially. Without them, I would not have been so open to meeting new people and would not have enjoyed my first year of college as much.

DOCTOR WHO

Introduced by one of my friends, Doctor Who, is the TV show I consider most exciting and full of hope. The Doctor (9th, 10th, and 11th) gives me hope and happiness. He is really funny, laid-back, adventurous, and smart. I admire him and want to be like him. I want to help others the way he does and be known for fighting for justice.

MUSIC

Music will always be a part of who I am. I cannot even think of a day where music was not influential. I have learned to play the guitar and piano since I was around 9 years old. Now, I want to learn how to play the cello and be able to create the deep, gentleman-like melodies. Besides that part of music, I love to listen to a variety of genres- pop, rock, instrumentals, and a little alternative.

Chapel Hill Memoir

By Stephanie Rodriguez | February 22, 2015

On the night of February 10th, I remember being home relaxing after a long day of class and internship work. Usually, I get home about 7 in the afternoon and that day was nothing new. I was debating whether or not to go to the gym or finish my Biochemistry laboratory paper. Well, I ended up doing both. I have usually been going to bed around 12 at night, since I spend a good amount of time cooking and prepping my food for the next day. That Tuesday was not any different and neither was my “check every social media ritual.” I went on Facebook, but I did not read anything interest. Instagram? nothing. Pinterest? I didn’t even try because I get too hungry. Snapchat? I didn’t feel like looking at so many pictures and videos.

When I went on Twitter, I read the first retweet about the #ChapelHillShooting. At first, I figured it was an old incident, but when I clicked on the attached link, I noticed that it had happened that same night. Honestly, I was expecting there to be a bigger hype about it. There are so many discussions that can arise from this tragic. However, this is not the purpose of this blog because all I want is there to be a mutual understanding that: this was and is important. Additionally, I am writing this blog because I want to share with you how the Loyola community dealt with it.

There are times in which we get so carried away with all the daily activities of our lives. This happens to me constantly, especially when I am walking around campus. I have to rush to class. I need to print this. The line is so long. I need coffee. I forgot the moonlighting enzyme in the paper. I knew the answer to that last question. Did I eat today? All of these thoughts go on in our heads and sometimes we do not stop to look around us and appreciate what is around us. I get it. It happens and this is fine. However, there are situation, like this one, that make me realize how amazing the Loyola community is. Unfortunately, in this case it had to be a tragic event, but nonetheless, it made me proud of all of these people who took the time to gather around and pay their respects to the victims.

There were people of other religions around the small and empowering memoir. There were so many people who passed it and just stared in silence. I believe that these are incidents that bring people closer. Many people did not know what had happened and this memoir led them to research on their own. I just want to put in my two cents about this incident. I want those to know that the Loyola community is free of bigotry and we support each other like if we were our own. If you didn’t know, now you know. Take the time to free your mind and take a look around campus. There is always something to be proud of, big or small.

What Living with 4 Girls has Taught Me

By | December 14, 2014

This year, four of my best friends and I were lucky enough to live in Georgetown, an upperclassman residence hall. Scoring the last apartment in Georgetown turned out to be a pretty sweet deal. With three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, and a living room, the five of us couldn’t have been happier. Now, when you throw five girls into a living space they tend to hit certain highs and lows–we were no exception. Here’s what I learned this semester:

1. Every night is girl’s night. No matter what we were up to–cooking dinner, movie night, studying–I was always got to spend time with my best friends. Which meant there was always a chance for a Taylor Swift jam session to ensue.

2. Washing the dishes is everyone’s least favorite chore. Turns out when five people share a kitchen, dishes pile up pretty quickly. And the five of us all really despised washing the dishes. After a few roomie meetings and some sticky note reminders we’ve been able to keep the dishes under control…for the most part

3. My closet expanded x4. I don’t have a sister so I never had the chance to share clothes with anyone growing up. This year I was blessed with four more closets–all belonging to girls who were willing to share.

4. Someone’s always waiting with a hug if you need it. There are certain days when you really just need a hug. Because I lived with four girls that love me, I could always count on a hug to brighten my day.

5. Confrontation is uncomfortable. Like I said, we had our lows and in that I found out that every single one of us hates confrontation, no matter how we went about it. But I think it’s fair to say that we each learned it was completely necessary to keep a peaceful home.

6. I couldn’t love our dysfunctional family more. These four girls seriously mean the world to me. I am so grateful that I got to live with them this semester. When I go abroad next semester I’ll miss laughing all night, eating pints of Ben & Jerry’s, singing at the top of our lungs, crying when we missed our moms or when class was too hard, calling Georgetown home, and living with these four incredible women.

Thankful Loyolans

By Lindsy Fagerstrom | November 25, 2014

In order to show their gratitude and thankfulness this year, Ramblers took hundreds of post-it notes to a chalkboard on-campus to share what they were thankful for:

Happy Thanksgiving from our Loyola family to yours!

Tips for First Generation Students

By Stephanie Rodriguez | October 25, 2014

You’re the first one to go to college and you’re clueless, but it’s OK. I, too, am a first generation student at Loyola University Chicago. I am also an only child and I did not have any close relatives attending college in 2010; it was difficult, but I did it! Here are some tips that worked for me!

REACH OUT EARLY. This is the most important and this is why it’s my first tip! Talk to your counselor/advisor asap. If you know you’re major advisor, talk to him or her as well. You need to make sure you’re on track so you don’t end up doing a fifth year. It’s a huge transition from high school, so make sure you’re aware of your options and you know what to do.
INVOLVE YOUR FAMILY. As a first year, I thought I could do it all myself. However, I still talked to my parents about their opinion(s) on which classes to take, even though I was the first one to go to college. Don’t try to do everything yourself, involve your parents and siblings and try to explain things to them so they understand and can help you out.
JOIN ORGANIZATIONS, INTRAMURAL SPORTS, GO WORK OUT, ETC. The goal here is to make friends. You did it in high school, do it again! You’ll meet many people and who knows, if you meet someone in your major they’ll be able to give you advice on professors, classes, homework, etc.
GO TO OFFICE HOURS. Meet with your professors if something doesn’t make sense, or if something does make sense! Let them know about your issues, or likings about the class and introduce yourself. They’re there to help; take advantage of it.
BE PATIENT. Sometimes it’s difficult for your family to understand that you have work to do, or that you can’t go home as often as you’d like because you’re swamp with papers/exams. Talk to them and explain what the classes entail and require from you. With time, they will understand and get the hang of it.
MAKE FRIENDS. Meet other people who are also first generation students. There will be days when you don’t know where to run and it’s always nice to have someone there.

These continue to work for me! MAKE THE BEST OUT OF YOUR UNDERGRADUATE EXPERIENCE.

Loyola keeps winnin’

By Stephanie Rodriguez | October 13, 2014

It’s difficult to not sound cliche every time I have to answer the question: Why did you choose Loyola? First, let me take you to 2007. I remember that year perfectly because I had my list of universities I wanted to apply to. Loyola was the first one down on the list. My mother’s good friend had two sons who had just graduated from Loyola and she always talked to me about it. Always. Among DePaul, U of I, UIC, Saint Louis University, Iowa State University and Northwestern, I knew Loyola stood out the most to me, but I wasn’t sure as to why just yet…

It wasn’t until my senior year of high school when I received all of the acceptance letters that I started feeling overwhelmed. I took it one step at a time and decided to visit the campuses. You know how they say don’t judge a book by its cover? I had to. No other campuses compared to Loyola’s breathtaking views. Needless to say whenever I mentioned Loyola to anyone they always “oohed” and “aahed.” It’s prestige made it that much better.

I had finally realized why Loyola stood out to me the most. I always wanted to be a city girl, but still be close to home. I wanted a prestigious education, but at a reasonable price. I wanted a beautiful campus, but still feel at home. I wanted to meet people, but make lifetime friends. I wanted to challenge myself as a student, but find myself as a person. I knew Loyola would make all of this happen and it did. It also made me realize that it’s OK to sound cliche when you appreciate your education THIS much.

Valentine’s Day ’13

By | February 14, 2013

It’s Valentine’s Day 2013, and the love is in the air…metaphorically speaking. Couples are probably going to be going out tonight to celebrate one another, but what about those of us without a significant other? Well, for us, we have other “significants”- our friends and families.

For example, tonight after my Operations Management exam, I’ll be heading over to my cousin’s place to hang out with her, and throughout the day, I hope to spread some love to my mom, my grandmother, and the other important people in my life.

They say that Valentine’s Day is about celebrating romantic love for someone, but I’m changing the rules this year: I’m celebrating my endless love for all my significant others because celebrating that love is just as important, if not more.

Many people have a picture painted in their head that when they come to college, they are going to meet their soulmate. For some, this happens; for others, the time comes later. But it’d be a shame for those who haven’t had that happen yet to hide in their rooms with a box of chocolates and an anti-Valentine’s Day movie.

Instead, people should remember all the other great people that they have met. I’ve made important friends during my time here, and I’ve been acquainted with so many interesting people. For me personally, not only did I make new friends, but I also strengthened my bond with old friends and family. That’s definitely something worth celebrating.

So to all the couples out there, to the parents, the children, friends, cousins, siblings, grandparents, future people we all have yet to meet and love…Happy Valentine’s Day.

Christmas Break

By | January 23, 2013

Christmas break was EXTREMELY relaxing! It was so nice to take a break from the mounds of schoolwork I usually have and just enjoy the company of family and friends while eating tons of home cooked meals (my favorite part!).

One of the many perks of Loyola is that they give everyone a full month of break. (Mostly everyone, depending on finals) I got home December 13th, and a few days later, my siblings and I hosted our first annual Trubiano siblings cookie making party. We each invited a few friends, and made a ton of cookies for Christmas and Christmas day… although most of them were gone that night. Here’s a picture of the cookies I was in charge of, before they were decorated.

On Christmas Eve, my family has my moms whole side at our house. We ate delicious lasagna and exchanged presents. It was extra exciting this year because it was my cousin’s baby’s first Christmas. He is the chubbiest, cutest little thing.

On Christmas day, we went to my grandparents house. My dad has five brothers and sisters, so there was a ton of people packed into the house. I have so many cousins, and I always love Christmas because I get to hang out with all of them at once! Here is a picture of all of my female cousins besides one.

I spent a lot of time with my high school friends over this break as well. We had a lot of holiday parties and went to a lot of movies. (I highly recommend Silver Linings Playbook!) Here’s a pic of my six best friends.

I definitely needed the long Christmas break. I was great spending time with family and old friends. It is great to be back in Chicago though, and I am really looking forward to this semester!