ZTA Ladies Give a Helping Hand in Nicaragua

Sofia taking the pulse rate of young a
          Nicaraguan boy in the triage station

My name is Sofia Silver and this winter break I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to travel Nicaragua with a group of 35 other students from the University of Texas at Austin. Two of my other Zeta sisters, Olivia Trzepacz and Peyton Cramer were also a part of this group of intelligent, diverse, and driven students. We travelled with a student-led organization called Global Brigades to bring medical care to the poverty of several rural communities. Our group was the first ever brigade to enter Nicaragua, and I believe we set a high precedent for all future brigades.

                  Olivia, Peyton, and I flew with 8 other students out of DFW on the first day on a bright and early 4 am flight! We flew in to Nicaragua’s capital, Managua, and were greeted by our cute, peppy 22 year old brigade coordinator Nicole. On the 2 hour drive to our compound in a city called Estelí, we were all surprised by not only the breathtaking landscape, but also by the “homes” that lined the winding road. Tiny, square shacks the size of our bedrooms and covered by metal tin roofs were normal homes for the majority of this third world country. This was the first of many eye-opening sights we would witness during our week in Nicaragua.

Left to right: Jordan, Peyton, Sofia, and Olivia
at the active Masaya Volcano

Despite the early wakeup, once we arrived to our compound we were put to work sorting, counting, and labeling tons of different types of medicine under the direction of our Nicaraguan pharmacist Brenda, while we waited for the Houston group to arrive. On our first night, the power went out throughout the compound, so we had to take freezing showers in the dark, giving us our first insight into the lives of the majority of Nicaraguans.

For the first three days of the trip, our group, along with an incredible staff hired by Global Brigades, set up a free medical clinic and pharmacy in the poor rural community of Llano de la Tejera. We worked with 4 remarkable and ambitious local physicians, along with one of the most hardworking and passionate dentists I have ever met to treat over 300 patients throughout the three days. I had the opportunity to work in the triage station taking blood pressure, temperature, respiratory rate, and pulse rate for a large multitude of patients. This was one of the best parts of the trip for me since I am a pre-med student, and it gave me some hands-on experience with patients. The patients most commonly suffered frombreathing problems, coughs, parasites, and malnutrition, resulting from their extremely sub-par living conditions and lack of access to clean water.

Left to right: Peyton, Jordan, Sofia, and Olivia
outside of the school in Llano de la Tejera,
where the medical brigade was set up

During the medical brigade, I also was able to shadow several of the physicians during their consultations with patients. I got to see a baby suffering from laryngomalacia, which I learned is a condition in which the larynx does not fully develop for a baby when it is an embryo, causing the baby to make a high pitch squeaking noise when it inhales. We were also able to inform an overweight woman of her high blood pressure, and give her the steps she would need to take to improve her health to avoid a heart attack or a stroke. However, the most exciting case to come into our clinic was an eleven year old girl who sliced open her finger with a machete (which are apparently very commonly used by Nicaraguan children!). She came running in with blood spurting out of her finger. One of the doctors handled the situation very calmly and efficiently, even when the girl’s mother fainted from the sight of all the blood!

In another important part of the medical brigade, we taught the children of the communities the proper way to brush their teeth and gave them free toothbrushes and toothpaste. It was shocking to us that these children did not even know the right way to hold a toothbrush, so often we had to adjust their hands so they could brush correctly. This was another one of my favorite parts of the trip because I was interacting, in most likely awful Spanish, with young kids who were extremely excited to have us there. We played tag, red rover, and “ring around the rosy” with the kids, and their energy and giggles masked any hint at the horrible conditions they were born in to. The little ones especially loved the “selfie” camera on our iPhones! Seeing these happy and gracious children definitely gave me a real sense of perspective due to their positive attitudes despite the fact that they were living in severe poverty.

Peyton, Vi, and Sofia cementing the drain for the latrine
that was built for a home in El Limon

Since we were in Nicaragua for New Year’s Day, we were able to have the day off, and we travelled to an active volcano near Managua called Masaya Volcano. I had never been to a volcano before, so this was yet another amazing experience on the trip, and the views were spectacular!

For the last 3 days of the brigade, we travelled to the even poorer and more rural community of El Limón where people lived in homes made of wood scraps with tin roofs, dirt floors, and no bathrooms. Many dug holes in the ground to go to the bathroom, and some bathed in rivers. All types of animals roamed freely throughout the area, from plain old dogs and cats to cows, pigs, and chickens – my fear of birds was definitely spiked when I had to worry about walking past a rooster or a hen every couple of minutes, even inside the homes!

Peyton, Henry the coordinator, and Sofia with some of the
community members outside of the home
where a sanitary station was built

We performed the public health aspect of our brigade in this community, and we started by tearing down the falling apart home of the poorest family of El Limón, and by beginning the reconstruction of a new home that would be large enough to house 3 families. Our group also worked hand in hand with community members and Global Brigade technicians to build sanitary stations for three different homes which would include a shower, latrine, and washboard to help improve the lives of these families. To first witness the diseases and health conditions many rural Nicaraguans suffered from and to then see the terrible living conditions they lived in gave me an incredible understanding of the important correlation between public health and medical health. It was especially rewarding to know that I was leaving Nicaragua having improved the lives of several people, and that hopefully my efforts would help in preventing the development of some of these illnesses in the future.

Overall, my experience in Nicaragua was eye opening and unforgettable. I met some astonishing and inspiring people, and the true graciousness of all of the Nicaraguans we helped was extraordinarily humbling. The most memorable part of the trip was when we arrived to El Limón to the entire community congregated outside the house we were going to rebuild. I was almost moved to tears when the community members joined together in a song for us that sang, in Spanish, “welcome my brothers, give me your hand, and I’ll give you my hand.” I will never forget the time I spent in Nicaragua, and I hope to return in the future to further assist in improving the lives of these well-deserving, compassionate people.

ZL,

Sofia Silver, PC '11

Racing for the Cure- Zeta Style

This past Sunday Austin Texas hosted the Annual Komen Race for the Cure. Zeta Tau Alpha looks forward to this event every year for it is very close to our hearts as breast cancer awareness and research is our National Philanthropy. This is one of our many events we do to promote awareness of breast cancer and we all participate in the race in some way. Some people volunteered to cheer runners across the finish line, some registered to run, and some helped out with pass outs and signs. Whatever their position Zetas were definitely not hard to find out and about that Sunday at the finish line one 16^th St and Congress.

When I arrived at the race for my shift to start at nine (which is definitely on the early side for me on a Sunday morning) I did not drag my feet, for the energy was contagious. From mom’s with infants strapped to their bodies to grandpa’s with puppies, everyone was decked out in pink. There were large groups, small groups, solo runners and even teams with creative matching t-shirts with creative sayings such as “Ninnies for Ninny!” 1 in 8 women get breast cancer so its hard these days to find anyone that is not affected in some way.

At the finish line I had the perfect view, and I saw it all. I saw what looked to me like a newborn followed up by a grandma who was wheeled through the race in her wheelchair, but I say that shows some heart. Some racers were happy and joyous as they crossed the finish line, others were in tears. Regardless, emotions were running high as the racers completed the stretch. Many of the volunteers were moved to tears by the raw emotion on some of the racer’s faces- it was really something to see.

When people who had survived breast cancer, which was over 1,500, crossed the finish line, we handed them pink roses, congratulated them, and ushered them on to the special survivor’s path ending in the survivors tent where they received a special welcome. This was the first year that the tent was established and it was a huge success. I personally received many hugs and thank just for being there and supporting the cause when really I felt it should be the other way around. I felt so grateful to be a part of Zeta so that I could be included in such a touching event. Breast cancer effects women’s health, and in turn, a family’s health, and the pain this disease brings to so many of us is really a staggering spectrum. I felt so honored to be able to cheer those amazing women down the survivors path, because it’s their courage, enthusiasm, involvement, and support that keeps this incredible event a success.

Another unique and heartwarming achievement was that this was the first year that all the girls who participated in our chapter were able to coordinate and all walk together. Thanks to the incredibly hard work of Jan Winkleman, we had awesome participation this year. You could feel the sister hood everywhere and it had nothing to do with matching shirts. The girls walked the race proud and laden with emotion, for many of our members have been significantly and personally affected by Breast Cancer. Together as sisters they completed the race with signs of support and cheers of enthusiasm.

Overall, the race was an incredible success. I am so proud of our chapter for getting so involved this year. I personally gave cheering those women on my all, and their honest appreciation was touchingly clear. There was a spirit of community that I can’t quite describe. I do know one thing though, there are few things that will coax a college student from her warm sheets into the bright outdoors at 6:30 AM. When I found out a group of our babies had been cheering since that appalling hour, I could not have been more proud. What we stand for as a chapter and the values we pass from pledge class to pledge class were blaringly clear that day. That event was so much more than a mandatory crown or philanthropy point- to us and to every women we got the chance to connect with. To anybody who missed it, you missed out! The experience I had even beat out the breakfast tacos, which from me, is saying a lot. 

Chandler Amoroso 
PC '11

Two Sororities, One Fun Night

Elf played on the side of the Zeta house while Zetas
and Chi O's watched!

Our incredibly wonderful sisterhood chair, Rachel Robillard, planned yet another awesome sisterhood event! Seaworld was so much fun that I got really excited when she announced that we would be having another- she did not disappoint! This time the sisterhood event included another sorority, Chi Omega. It was a really fun time getting to bond with girls in our sorority but also getting to meet and hang out with our chi –o friends. There were girls of al grades and it was an awesome chance to get to know some of the older girls that we may not get to hang out with often. Everyone grabbed their blankets and sweatshirts and headed out to the back yard to watch a movie together.

After I ate myself sick on the tiff’s treats that we got I was ready to watch Elf, one of my all time favorites. There was also hot chocolate and popcorn available for movie munchies. There were about 50 of us there, which I’d say was a pretty good turnout especially considering the weather. These Texans just can't take the cold weather! But I have to admit… it was pretty cold. I actually was trying to multitask and edit a paper while I watched the movie, but that was an epic fail. It is impossible to scan for missing commas with Buddy the elf hopping around the screen and pouring syrup on his noodles. Such a crazy movie, I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn’t seen it.

The set up was pretty sweet to say the least. This was girl’s movie night on steroids. We had a giant blow up screen put up in the backyard and some makeshift movie theater seating. Afterwards we all helped carry the black chairs back into the house. Let me tell you, they were surprisingly heavy! My workout for the day for sure. It was really nice to see how willing everyone was to help out, sisterhood in the air for sure!

ZL,

Chandler Amoroso

PC '11

DESTINATION SISTERHOOD: SEAWORLD

Zetas from all pledge classes getting to meet the Seaworld Characters. Get crowned Shamu!

Being a part of the Kappa chapter’s Sisterhood Team in Zeta Tau Alpha this past year has been an extremely rewarding experience for me. Working with two of my pledge sisters to ultimately strengthen the bond of our chapter was a blast, but it took a whole lot of planning and hard work behind the scenes. However, the positive feedback received from our sisters at the end of the day made it all worthwhile, and I couldn’t be more satisfied with our overall success as a team.

“What does the Sisterhood Team do?” you may ask. Well, Rachel Robillard, Courtney Norris and I were in charge of managing the relations between members of our chapter and planning fun events for our sisters to enjoy with one another. In other words – no boys allowed.

Perhaps our largest, most detailed and planned out event of the year was one that recently took place a few weeks ago on Saturday, October 27^th. Ladies and gentlemen, the women of the Kappa chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha took SEAWORLD! 

As Sisterhood Chairman, Rachel Robillard took it upon herself to plan (in excruciating detail I might add) a trip for 100 girls in our chapter to enjoy a day at SeaWorld at NO additional cost! Sounds too good to be true, right?

Sisterhood Chair Rachel Robillard (PC '11) feeding a dolphin! Thanks
for planning a fantastic sisterhood event, Rachel!

After months of contact with the appropriate event coordinators, follow-ups with bus transportation, meetings with Hope and Amy, our chapter advisors, as well as large amounts of PR to hype everyone up, the 100 spots were quickly filled and the Zetas were more than ready for an aquatic adventure! We all met at the Zeta house that Saturday at 11 AM to check-in and obtain our tickets to the park, as well as our meal vouchers. Once everyone had arrived, we excitedly boarded the buses to begin our hour-and-a-half venture to SeaWorld San Antonio!

The trip took a bit longer than expected, but once we arrived at the park everyone was more than ready to get the day started. Rollercoaster buddy groups were immediately formed, and a large portion of the girls split-off to wait in line for rides such as The Steel Eel, Great White, Journey to Atlantis and more. Those of us (like me) who aren’t big rollercoaster fans consolidated and headed straight to the exhibits.

Perhaps the highlight of the trip for me was the experience my little, Blakeley, and close friend in Zeta, Sarah and I had at the shark exhibit. While watching these terrifying fish swim around in the tank, a SeaWorld employee approached us and asked if we had any questions about anything. After gaining a little basic understanding about the fish, we engaged in some small talk and learned that he was a sophomore in college studying to become a marine biologist. After going into a little more detail about his field of study, he offered to take the three of us on a VIP tour of the upstairs aquarium. We obviously weren’t going to turn that down, so we followed him into the “Employees Only” door, up the stairs, and to the top of the shark tanks.

It was unreal. To be up at the top of a fish tank filled with millions of gallons of water and peering into the aquarium at humongous sharks that we were once looking at along with everyone else was incredible. We even met a few of the trainers as well as the scuba divers who dive into the tanks to clean and feed the sharks. It truly was an awesome experience.

Ashley Allison, Rachel Robillard, and Annick Rivas (all PC '11)
took on the Steel Eel! 

The rest of the day at SeaWorld was just as enjoyable for everyone else. We all met up at a pavilion around 2 to enjoy a buffet lunch and our Spirit Chair, Katie Kratkiewicz, presented SeaWorld themed awards for a few of our outstanding ladies. One of the park’s event coordinators even provided door prizes to raffle off to us, too!

After lunch, everyone got back to the fun of riding more rides, watching Shamu’s “One Ocean” performance or even just grabbing some Dippin’ Dots and browsing at the different shops. By the time 6:30 rolled around, though, it was clear by the looks on everyone’s faces that they had had their fair share of fun, and we boarded the buses to head back to Home Sweet Austin, Texas.

All in all, I couldn’t be more satisfied with the turnout of the SeaWorld event. It was so fulfilling to hear all the girls talk about their days back on the bus, and knowing that everyone had a blast was a great feeling. Participating in events like these remind me of how fortunate I am to be surrounded by such an amazing group of women, and to be a part of such an incredible sorority such as Zeta Tau Alpha.

I truly hope that the Destination Sisterhood event becomes an annual occurrence, because I can’t wait to partake in something just as (if not more) fun with all my Zistas next year! 

Destination Sisterhood: SeaWorld – SUCCESS.

Sloane Schaumburger

Assistant Sisterhood Chairman

PC ‘11

Waiting to watch Shamu!

Senior Zetas enjoying lunch in the private pavilion! 

Senior Anna Fleury (PC '09) won the Great White
award!

Parent's Weekend 2012

Lauren Leone (PC '10) and her dad, Randy Leone.

We are so happy that our wonderful parent’s came to Austin to spend the weekend with us! Surprisingly, most of them did pretty well keeping up with our crazy college lifestyles… who would have thought! We kicked the weekend off with some fun at Scholz’s Beer Garten Friday night.  Then, Saturday we hosted a tailgate at the Zeta House with Rudy’s BBQ, a photo booth, delicious gelato from  Teo (a local favorite), and face painting!  We even won the football game that night against Baylor! It was a fantastic weekend.  We hope our parent’s had fun and are so thankful for them!

Check out the slide show of the photo booth pictures here!

Peyton Cramer (PC '11), Michelle Hecht (PC '11) and their mothers



Stephanie Hayes (PC '09), Michelle Hecht (PC '11) and their parents

Liz Fleury (PC '11), Katie Kratkiewicz (PC '11), Mackenzie Wall (PC '11),
Annie Hukill (PC '12) and Regan Seckel (PC '12)

Courtney Norris (PC '11), Kali Kirkpatrick (PC '11) and their parents

Jordan Bruns (PC '10), Amanda Ferguson (PC '10), Lauren Leone
(PC '10) and their parents

Michelle Hecht (PC '11) and Caroline Meyerson (PC '12) 

Kiesten and Sydney Braasch (PC '12) and their family

Aubrey Crenshaw (PC '12) and her family 

Jan Winkelmann (PC '10) and her mom 

Blakely Galbraith (PC '12), Katherine Jessen (PC '12) and their families

New Member Coordinator Kate Onofrey (PC '09) and her parents

Alumnae Trick or Treat!

Zeta hosted it’s annual Alumni Trick or Treat on October 30^th! Tons of alumni came brought their kids for a fun night at the Zeta house! PC ’12 decorated all the house girl’s doors and the kids got to trick or treat from room to room. In the backyard, there were more activities and games for the kids as well as food and drinks and of course, more candy!!

Becky and her adorable daughter/future Zeta dressed up like a pirate! 

Kids getting their faces painted! 

Some of PC 12 waiting to hand out candy!

Snacks and games in the backyard!

Maddy McGlamery helping out with the games!

Maddy Strutner teaching kids how to play pin the nose on the skeleton!

Taking a break from all the candy!

Jan Winkelmann passing out candy to trick or treaters! 

Our advisor Amy and her adorable daughter!! 

Thanks to all of our awesome alumnae who came and made the event a success! We can’t wait for next Halloween!!

Summer Lovin’ Meets Spring Show!

            We all watch those movies growing up where the protagonist gets sent off for the summer, whether it’s to enjoy the summer months soaking up the sun on the beach and un-expectantly falling in love with the cute boy at the lifeguard hut, running around at summer camp singing songs and playing pranks on the boys cabin, or traveling the world searching for the something missing from your life. These summers always turn out to be “a summer of a lifetime” or “the summer of (year), one I will never forget”. I always thought these so called “moments” were cliché and staged, I mean honestly, how could you determine he was your soul mate after a matter of two months!?

            As much as I’d love to tell you I found my soul mate this summer, my “summer of a lifetime” was a different kind of love affair, one involving a high fashion designer and an internship in NYC.

Rebecca Taylor and her children backstage

              On May 21^stI walked into the 16^th floor of the Garment Arcade, 307 west 36^thstreet NYC, also known as Rebecca Taylor. It was the first day of my summer internship as an art director intern with Rebecca Taylor. Tim Kitchen, the art director for Rebecca’s entire brand/clothing line, warmly greeted me with a huge hug and beaming smile. I knew instantaneously I was going to love coming to work and everything Rebecca Taylor had to offer me.

            So let’s fast forward….. my whole experience at Rebecca Taylor was amazing, I got my hands dirty with everything, a little taste of every part of branding Rebecca’s line, everything from designing print ads, to designing clothing labels, gift cards and event invitations. I left to come back to school with a whole new outlook on the fashion industry!

            However, the real perk of the job took place of Sept. 8^th…… Rebecca Taylor’s 2013 Spring Fashion Show! I flew in the day before the show and joined the mass chaos and hype of NYC fashion week. I was walking around the day before with a friend near Bryant Park and a show must have just let out because a flood of women dressed to the nines filled the sidewalks surrounding us. Saturday I headed to Rebecca Taylor’s office and helped pack up everything. Tim and I were in charge of documenting the show, we both had our cameras out and ready to go. Tim also gave me a Super8 camera, an 8milimeter film camera that has about 3 minutes of film. The Super8 gives the image a cool jumpy vintage feel!

            I ran around backstage snapping off pictures and trying to soak in everything I could possibly hold! It is almost all a blur, there were models, Aveda hair styles, makeup artists, camera crews, and security everywhere! People kept stopping me to ask about my Super8, as if I actually knew what I was doing… Ha!

            The show started and I filmed everything, the girls were beautiful, swiftly moving down the runway, the clothes flowing and illuminating in the lights. It was surreal, the show was over in a matter of 2 songs and the venue was empty about 2 minutes after that!

            After fashion week, I decided I was determined to make it back to NYC. Nothing is going to take away my love for this industry and everything that goes into it!

 - Aimée