Shining Sisters Week Seven

The Final Countdown

Happy last week of class, sistas! It’s wild to see another year come and go, but it sure did not do so quietly. As we jet off to the joyous plans of tomorrow, let’s make sure not to forget the growth that led us to today. The baby steps that became bountiful bounds through unyielding perseverance, life-giving friendships, and molding experiences that carried us to this jumping-off point into the great unknown of the future. A thousand stories to tell and a new chapter ahead; may we remain ever-thankful and ever-forward.

Sarah Reynolds

Sarah has worn many hats throughout her time in Zeta Nu, and we couldn’t be more thankful. She embodies the perfect duality of humility and strength of a true servant leader and her relentless spirit to constantly be better strengthens confidence into every one of us. Her eager willingness to give and fire for growth represents the epitome of Alpha Delta Pi.

“From my very first time meeting the women of ADPi in round one of recruitment to being elected the Executive Vice President for 2019, what ADPi means to me has been constantly evolving, for the best reasons. From the time I stepped into round one of recruitment, I knew that ADPi was my home, and after shedding a very emotional tear during Preference round, I have never looked back. ADPi has given me opportunities I may have never had otherwise. I found my Little Diamond Sister who I traveled all the way to Honduras with my sophomore year, and who I now serve on Exec with. I found a Mississippi girl who has become one of my closest friends. I found a mentor who was my age, who is now my right hand girl, and our President. ADPi means pushing to be the best version of myself, and finding a dress for my favorite function: FORMAL. It means going to chapter to see 240 of the brightest and strongest women I know, and it means leading with the other officers to leave a legacy and a sisterhood behind for our future members.

Being a part of something bigger than myself in order to inspire others is something very important to me. Entering Clemson my freshman year was something like a culture shock, as I graduated high school with 25 people and entered a university with over 20,000 students! I always loved leading, and felt pulled to do so, but being a small fish in a big pond, I was so intimidated my freshman year. Returning in the fall of 2017 for sophomore year, I knew I wanted to take initiative to be the leader I knew I could be, so I served as our chapter’s Recording Secretary. As Recording Secretary, I worked on the Administrative Team under the Executive Vice President, and one of my best friends, Emory! I valued her leadership and really looked up to her, so three months in, I knew I wanted to run for EVP in 2019.

I love working behind the scenes to make sure our chapter operates efficiently. In my roles as Executive Vice President and Recruitment Information Manager, I am able to do exactly this. The best part, simply, is being able to impact this chapter for many years to come, being able to act as a role model for the younger women in Zeta Nu, and feeling closer to my sisters now more than ever. Serving on the Executive Committee, I have become so close to the other seven Executive Officers, and I would not trade the bond that we have for anything!” - Sarah Reynolds, AC ‘16

Fun Facts about Sarah:

- If you could time travel, where would you go and why? If I could time travel, I would go to six years from now. I am someone who always thinks about my future, and I cannot wait to see what it holds. Also, I want to begin building my future house in six years!! Lol

- Fav TV character and why? This is a close tie between Chuck Bass and Tim Riggins. I really do not think I have to say more. I actually own an ADPi shirt with Tim Riggins on it.

- Fav quote? “For what it’s worth: It’s never too late to be whoever you want to be. I hope you live a life you’re proud of, and if you find you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start over.” F. Scott Fitzgerald

Tatum Sass

Tatum is stepping up to the plate and playing her hand in the fight that shapes life as we know it: cancer research. Witnessing the complexities and intricacies of this battle firsthand has taught Tatum the recipe for resilience, risk, and refinement. Along with her hard-working and ambitious attitude, this scientist sure is putting the smart in “smarty-pi.”

“Rewinding to the week before fall semester began, I was beyond excited to be back in Clemson with my friends! After an exciting yet exhausting week of recruitment, I checked my email expecting to see bid day pictures or a message from a future professor about which textbook to buy, but instead noticed an email from my academic advisor titled “Research Opportunity.” An undergraduate research position in a DNA repair lab had become available and I was the first person that came to his mind to fill the spot. Fast forward to the week before finals and now I’m finishing up my second semester of research under Dr. Sehorn. I spend around 15 hours a week on the ground floor of the Life Sciences Building, pipetting, centrifuging tubes, and running gel electrophoresis. My favorite aspect of this lab is the incredible mentors I’ve formed relationships with, ranging from accomplished professors to first year graduate students. They’ve helped develop my scientific knowledge and research skills to what they are today, and I’m so thankful for how they push me to be a stronger scientist.

My lab consists of ten undergrad students, two grad students, and is overseen by Dr. Sehorn. We each have a different individual project that relates to DNA repair and cancer research as a whole. I’m currently working on mutating a protein’s genetic sequence and testing how this mutation affects DNA repair. This lab is not easy by any means and all of my results have not been perfect; accepting failure and learning from my mistakes is the most challenging part of scientific research! Receiving negative results has taught me that accomplishing my goals perfectly is not the only way to measure success.

After graduating from Clemson in 2 short years, I plan on attending graduate school and becoming a mentor for undergraduate students while I complete my PhD. I want to be able to give back to the scientific community, especially after how much it’s shaped me as a person and provided me with incredible opportunities. When I ~hopefully~ get my name published in a paper or am able to open up my own cancer research lab, I will never forget where I started and how far I’ve come!” - Tatum Sass, AC ‘17

Fun Facts about Tatum:

- Top 3 things on your bucket list? (1) Travel to all seven continents (2) See Beyoncé in concert (3) Create and name a new drug or vaccine

- Fav Clemson memory? Traveling to Finland with the Spiro Institute for SLUSH and jumping in the Arctic Ocean in the middle of November with my fellow Tigers

- What's something you're looking forward to? Winning the Beta Lei dance competition again next year…we’re going back to back baby!!

Charlotte Schmitt

Just four short years ago, Charlotte and her family packed their bags and headed across the pond all the way from France to the Greenville, SC. Through struggles of language barriers and cultural challenges, Charlotte has blossomed into the strong, funny, open-minded, and insightful sister we know and love with now a third home right here in Zeta Nu.

“I am from a town called Annecy in the department of Auvergne Rhône-Alpes of France. I moved in January 2015 to Greenville, SC because of my dad’s job. Moving to the US was really hard. I didn’t know English very well, I was failing my classes because I didn’t understand the teachers, trying to make friends was hard because there was limited communication.. Overall, trying to find a place in the middle of the school year in high school was overwhelming and scary. However, moving here taught me a lot of things. It made me grow as a person and open my mind to the world. I learned that you cannot be scared to be who you are or scared that people won’t like you; you have to be yourself, not everybody will like you and that’s okay. Moving also taught me not to take anything for granted because it can be taken away from you faster than you realize. I have an older sister who stayed in France when we moved to the US and now I only see her twice a year.. if you want something go get it.

Some major cultural differences are the way people dress, the way people eat and what they eat, the way people see other countries, the influence that sports has on their lives, and how patriotic Americans are. I miss the food and the fashion trends, and how everybody dresses up to go everywhere. I also miss my family. But I do love how everybody is super nice here and very respectful of one another, even if it’s just a smile or someone holding the door for you. I also loved being on the cheerleading team in high school, it was amazing getting to be part of a team and I felt like a very cool American!!

My very first football game ever was a Clemson game! We were invited to the President’s Suite but didn’t really knew what that meant lol. It was so much fun even though I didn’t know what was going on. A few years later I decided to go to Clemson because I remembered the atmosphere from the game and how awesome it was. Being part of ADPi has helped me become a better version of myself each and every day. There are so many incredible and talented girls in our sorority that set an example for me to follow. People say surround yourself with people you want to be like which is exactly why I am a proud member of ADPi.

After school, I hope to be an orthodontist! I want to live in a pretty city like Charleston or Charlotte with my husband and kids. If I end up marrying an American man, I can’t wait to take him to France to visit and show who I am and I would love for my kids to experience traveling abroad.” - Charlotte Schmitt, AC ’18

Fun facts about Charlotte:

- Celebrity crush? Justin Bieber

- Fav quote? “If it was easy, everyone would do it.”

- What’s something you’re looking forward to? My dental mission trip to Panama over the summer!

Cassidy Lindler

A very special group of people on our campus are the ClemsonLIFE students, those who have intellectual disabilities but desire a collegiate experience to prepare them for competitive employment and independent living. They’ve shaped the lives of so many fellow Tigers, especially our sister Cassidy.

“I serve as the Recruitment Coordinator for ClemsonLIFE! Basically, I’m in charge of communicating with new potential volunteers, helping them get their training done, and assisting them to sign up for a volunteer opportunity that interests them. I got involved with ClemsonLIFE during my first semester here at Clemson. I heard about it through some friends and ended up seeing so many of the students around campus and just started saying “hey, what’s up?” to them as I would pass by. I started getting close with some of them, and that’s when I decided to first volunteer as a workout buddy.

They’re some of the coolest kids I know, and are so enthusiastic and positive! My favorite part is just getting to be around them and chat with them on a day-to-day basis. I never leave a conversation without a smile on my face! These guys are true Clemson students, and want to be treated as such. One challenge that I have seen is that because the students are so outgoing and adventurous, they sometimes test the boundaries that the ClemsonLIFE program has in place for their safety and well-being. While the students have learned and maintained a lot of independence, they’re still just regular people, and I know we can all think of times where we’ve wanted to push the boundaries justttt a little bit! Our campus has done such a great job developing over the years to be inclusive and accepting of these students. I think we can continue to serve the LIFE students by finding new ways to include them in campus activities and working to decrease any stigma that may exist regarding those who are different than us. I think if everyone spent just 5 minutes with one of these guys, they would see how incredible and impressive they truly are. I am constantly learning from the LIFE students about how to face every day with joy and optimism, which are important in my future nursing field where there can be a lot of sickness and sadness. Being a part of this program has shaped my time here at Clemson by showing me that differences and diversity should be celebrated, and that there is always more to someone than meets the eye.” - Cassidy Lindler, AC ‘16

Fun Facts about Cassidy:

- Fav movie character: I think Hallie and Annie from The Parent Trap are some of my favorite movie characters ever. I love how adventurous, witty, and slightly mischievous they are!

- Fav childhood memory: Going to Dafuskie Island with all of my family every summer! My brother, cousins, and I would explore the island on our golf cart and get endless shirley temples and blue smurfs at the pool.

- If you could time travel, where would you go and why? I would go into the future 10 years, just to see where I end up and see what all my friends are up to!