Greek Pride

Sitting in my graduate class at a small, not very Greek college, I overhear a few students talking about Greek life, and who hazes and what they went through and how their chapter at another school (my alma mater, no less) were “totally snobby.” The room got quiet, and the guy laughed it off and spoke much quieter about his opinions. Good idea, bro.

I was a sorority girl. I am proud that I was a sorority girl. The friendships I made in Alpha Phi are deeper than any I had formed before, and on any given day you’ll see my O Ring, symbolizing my Omicron chapter at the University of Missouri. So yes, I get I credibly offended when I hear others bad mouth Greek life. So let’s clear some things up:

Do sororities and fraternities haze? I don’t know. Mine did not – as new members, we were treated like princesses. But all it takes is one screw up to ruin it for the rest of us.

Didn’t you just pay for friends? Maybe. I paid for a community to belong to; for the confidence to walk around a campus of 30,000 and know I wasn’t alone. I paid to live in a mansion with 80 of my closest friends. I paid for sisterhood events, socials and homecoming decorations (that I also spent hours on). And I promise, not a dime was wasted or regretted.

Well, all you do is party. Yep, partied so hard I graduated with honors a semester early from the best journalism school in the country. Oh, wait…

Look, I’m not going to tell you to join Greek life. It’s not for everyone. But for the lucky few, it’s more than a few Greek symbols on a sweatshirt, or hours spent pomping a house dec(oration). It’s a history of tradition, community and pride.

Would you walk into the Big House talking about how Michigan is overrated? No? Then don’t speak badly about Greeks – you never know when one is down the aisle.

Picking the right Apple

It’s hard to believe that 35 years ago, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak were just forming what as become one of the greatest companies of all time. In light of Steve Jobs passing, it’s only fitting to talk about how Apple has impacted my life, and the legacy Jobs has left in this technologically advanced world.

Like many girls, my infatuation with Apple started in the Harvard book store where Elle Woods, decked out in bunny gear picked up her orange MacBook. It was love.

I still wish they made that computer. Sadly, my parents didn’t think a 12-year-old needed a computer, so I was left to dream.

One day, my dad came home from work with an iPod shuffle. “Won this from a vendor. Do you want it?” The holy grail was in my hand. After loading it up full of *NSYNC, Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears, I couldn’t wait to increase my Apple collection.

I moved on to get an iPod nano for Christmas during high school, and then my senior year, I was finally able to pick up my MacBook 13inch, straight out of the j-school bundle. It came with an iPod video. #winning

FYI – this was my J 1000 class in Cornell Hall at the University of Missouri. I’ve got one of the black macs. Can you find me?

As I moved on into college, I found the need for a MacBook Pro. This was when my parents learned the magic behind Apple, as they took my old MacBook for themselves.

Oddly, I waited for the iPhone 4 before picking one up, however it was the greatest phone decision of my short cellular life. I could never go back to another.

Today I’ll make my next Apple purchase – an iPad 2. Somewhat for fun, somewhat for business, but 100 percent of loyalty to the brand.

Sure, Steve Jobs didn’t cure cancer. He didn’t end wars. But what he did was impact the lives of millions through technology. To me – that’s pretty damn cool.

“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

RIP Mr. Jobs.