#GoGreek Interview: Liz Hansen

#gogreek interview Liz Hansen

Welcome to our #GoGreek series! This blog series focuses on interviewing past and present members of sororities and fraternities. We are able to learn more about their experiences and ask them questions to help others learn more about the Greek world, bust stigmas, and find out if Greek life is right for you. Check out all of our #GoGreek interviews here. 

Today we are interviewing Liz Hansen. Liz is a member of Alpha Chi Omega at Marquette. Not only is she part of Greek life, but she was also a recipient of our 2019 Design a Better Future scholarship! 

Liz was drawn to Alpha Chi Omega because she loved their philanthropy. It really impressed her how she could impact her community not only nationally, but locally as well. She also loved that the girls involved in Alpha Chi Omega were genuine and helped her become the best version of herself. 


What drew you to Greek life?

At Marquette, all sororities have to have a service component as well as a social component, which I thought was great. I am a big believer in being involved in the community and it seemed like a good way to do so at college. Alongside that, I wanted to push myself to grow as a person and I could tell that any of Marquette’s sororities would help me do such. 

What is your philanthropy and what effect does serving this philanthropy have on your life?

Our philanthropy is domestic violence awareness, and I have learned so much from being involved with our philanthropy. I never truly understood how big of an issue domestic violence is until I joined AXO. Through volunteering at a local women’s shelter, I have also seen how it impacts people up close, as well as the Milwaukee community. We also stress the importance of understanding what is and is not a healthy relationship, whether romantically or just as friends. That knowledge is so applicable every day, and I feel like I’ve become a better friend from it. 


Liz’s advice for anyone considering joining a sorority or fraternity is to make sure that your values align with the organization and also allow you space to grow as a person in your time there. 

#GoGreek Interview: Emma Movick

alpha chi omega interview

Welcome to our #GoGreek series! This blog series focuses on interviewing past and present members of sororities and fraternities. We are able to learn more about their experiences and ask them questions to help others learn more about the Greek world, bust stigmas, and find out if Greek life is right for you. 

Today we are interviewing Emma Movick from Alpha Chi Omega at the University of Colorado. 

Emma chose Greek life because she wanted to meet new friends and feel connected at a new school. She also had the chance to meet a lot of great girls during recruitment and wanted to stay connected with them. She transferred to the University of Colorado her sophomore year and felt like she had missed a vital year there as a freshman to interact with the school and get to know peers, so joining a sorority was the perfect answer for her. 

Alpha Chi Omega’s philanthropy is centered around domestic violence awareness. Emma felt like this was a great philanthropy to support because she knows personally sisters and classmates affected by this. 


How has your experience helped or shaped your life beyond college?

“I was on the executive board, so I had to deal with conflicts while being in a role of power. I learned a lot about how to manage work conflicts and pick my battles on things I am not pleased with.

Going through recruitment (both when I was rushing and when I was recruiting new members) helped me to communicate with many different people, which has helped me with school and job interviews as I feel comfortable speaking with others.”

In what ways do you feel like being in a sorority or fraternity boosted your resume?

“It helped to make my resume well rounded and separate me from others. Also, connections are great. I had a job at lululemon, and during the hiring process, I spoke with employers who were also alumni of the same sorority which helped to make me memorable. I can also demonstrate my multitasking as I was on the executive board, working, and taking classes – showing that I can succeed while working on multiple tasks.”


When asked what advice Emma would give someone who wants to or is about to enter a sorority or fraternity, her recommendation is to be yourself, because you want to attract people with similar hobbies and interests. Be open-minded as well and don’t take it too seriously. Emma also added that being in a sorority was a great decision for her and she met some lifelong friends through it, as well as came away with great, life-changing experiences. 

Spotlight On Alpha Chi Omega

spotlight on alpha chi omega sorority

Alpha Chi Omega was founded in 1885 in Indiana when female students were in the beginnings of being allowed in college classrooms. Seven women came together to create an organization within their school of music, thus creating the 10th women’s fraternity in the country. 

The founders were Anna Allen Smith, Olive Burnett Clark, Bertha Deniston Cunningham, Amy DuBois Rieth, Nellie Gamble Childe, Bessie Grooms Keenan, and Estelle Leonard. Although they originally created the organization in their music school, it is not exclusive to music students today, and now serves more than 230,000 members nationwide, with chapters in foreign countries as well! 

Photo from http://www.alphachisu.org/history_foundingmembers.asp

Alpha Chi Omega’s individual philanthropies focus on the effects of domestic violence and the effects of it. They accomplish this through many hands-on activities and service projects. 

One of our past scholarship winners, Liz Hansen, is a part of Alpha Chi Omega. This is what she says about the organization: 

“What drove me to join my sorority was really and truly how amazing and supportive the women are in it. Regarding our philanthropy, it’s something I’m truly passionate about; I feel that my calling is to help others. Domestic violence and abuse are a lot more prevalent than people realize because it doesn’t need to be just physical. There’s a huge gap in education on the subject and teaching others, especially college students, about what a healthy relationship looks like is so important. The women we help at the shelter are in need of support and resources, and our donations of time and money are so impactful on them.”

Alpha Chi Omega’s motto is “Together, let us seek the heights.” They also live by the saying “Real. Strong. Women.” You can see more about this here: