Senior Spotlight

Below are the stories of three of our senior sisters as they reflect on the growth, learning, and living of their past four years. We are so thankful for the gift they were to not only our chapter, but to the Clemson Family as a whole. Cheers to you, Class of 2019! We wouldn’t be here without you.

Lilly Turner

Not only is our sister Lilly Turner an incredible leader here in Zeta Nu, but now will get to showcase her passion for this sisterhood to chapters nationwide! Embarking on her upcoming year as a Leadership Consultant for Alpha Delta Pi, she will still always be thankful for her ever-loyal home in TigerTown.

“ADPi has given me my sista friends, enriched my Clemson experience, taught me the true meaning of loyalty, and strengthened my leadership skills. My mom was also a Clemson ADPi, so that’s such a special bond we have been able to share. Beyond Clemson, ADPi has invited me to join the post-grad side of operations to enhance chapters across the country, and I could not be more excited! I decided to apply for the Leadership Consultant position because I saw it as a way to pour back into the organization that has given so much to me. Traveling around the country for the sisterhood I love is a once in a lifetime opportunity that enables me to use my passion for leadership and encouragement to benefit others. My main goal is to discover what makes ADPi so special to everyone I meet. From sisterhood to philanthropy to ritual and beyond, each member is drawn to a certain aspect and I want to be able to strengthen that relationship in any way possible.

There are too many highlights to count! I fell in love with Clemson the second I stepped on campus and never looked back. The moments that stand out to me are receiving my Clemson ring, cheering with my best friends as Clemson won two National Championships, moving into Barnett Hall, shagging at Esso on gameday in front of the band, standing on the field during halftime of the homecoming game, all of the spontaneous trips taken with my friends that we planned two days before, and everything in between. Clemson has given me so much joy these past four years. No college experience is complete without a few obstacles, and I certainly had my share over the past four years. The main thing I learned is to trust that your support system is there to catch you whenever you fall, and that there will always be someone who is just a phone call away who is willing to listen - no matter how dark it seems. I am so indescribably grateful for the people in my life who have dropped everything to be by my side and encourage me through difficult times.

Senior year in one word: Home. It is said that home is where the heart is, and so much of my heart is wrapped up in the friends and memories I have made here at Clemson. My home is found laughing with my best friends, walking through the buildings I have passed through the past four years, cheering on the Tigers each gameday, and driving over the paw prints on the highway on my way into town. There truly is nowhere else like Clemson, and I will be forever thankful for the time I called it home.” -Lilly Turner, AC ‘15

Fun Facts about Lilly:

- Happy place? South Carolina Botanical Garden

- Spirit animal? Hummingbird

- Fav quote? “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in their lives.” Ecclesiastes 3:11-12

Emily Scircle

Emily is a Language and International Public Health major with an emphasis in Spanish and Hospital Administration and minor in Psychology. She began her Clemson career as a preferred walk-on for the women’s varsity rowing team, but after receiving a medical release following her freshman year due to a diagnosis of narcolepsy, used this news to motivate starting her own research study on sleep, and has gone on to give a TED Talk on campus and become this year’s recipient of the Personal Academic Achievement Greek Award.

“ADPi has pushed me to be the best version of myself. This sorority has given me my best friends and memories. Over spring break, I went to Paris to visit my best friend and ADPi sister, Faith DuPre. We hold each other to high standards and have a very goal-oriented culture. This culture and how ADPis are so involved on campus and really succeed in all of our classes led me to great role models and mentors- seeing some of the older sisters juggling so much reassured me that I could do it too. Having older sisters as mentors not only helped me to navigate my first to years academically and socially, but also were tons of fun. ADPi opened so many doors from helping me get a job at Study Hall to joining the waterski team together; I wouldn't have had such an amazing and successful Clemson experience without ADPi. I have loved being able to call Clemson my home; I’m not ready to leave. I would give up anything to go back to August 2015 and relive it all over again. It is amazing how much life I have lived in the past 4 years and how much I have changed as a person and how I have grown into a more confident resilient young woman.

Winning the Personal Academic Achievement Greek Award means that I never gave up on my goal that I made my freshman year that I would try to make all A's and have the best GPA that I could have. I struggled in high school, so coming to Clemson was a super scary thing, so I thought that my goal of trying to graduate summa cum laude was unrealistic, but along with classes, I've loved doing research and being involved in the Honors College and studying abroad and other nerd things. My TEDx Talk was about how artificial light is wrecking our lives and pretty much sums up my research for the past 3 years at Clemson. I do circadian rhythm research by trying to help partially sleep deprived students stay awake through an hour of bright light exposure.

I have had so many setbacks and personal battles in my past 4 years. First piece of advice-- take advantage of CAPS- you can't do life alone and when you're going through some serious challenges it is best to see a professional, which will help you develop lifelong skills on how to handle problems in a healthy way. My most recent challenge was a couple of weeks ago when ALL of my post-grad plans fell through within ONE day- boy and was that an anxiety-inducing event- Plans A, B, AND C all didn't work out and it taught me that you can't plan your life out and you just have to be patient for God's plan to reveal itself. You can't control everything, but the one thing that you can control is how you react to challenges by getting back up and looking for another path that will help you get from point A to point B. Which that summary has also applied to every single challenge that I have faced in college: I planned to be a student athlete for Clemson all 4 years, that plan got cut short by getting medically released due to narcolepsy, and now I do sleep research.

This whole year has been a battle of trying to enjoy all of my Clemson lasts, spend time with all of my friends, work, apply for programs, look for jobs, finish classes to graduate, finish research projects, mentor, volunteer, and be a leader of several different organizations. I've loved every second, but this year has felt like I've been trying to battle the last few grains of sand falling from an hourglass. But because of this “say yes" mentality, I have met so many great new friends and made so many great memories.

I've been so focused on the present this semester, that I haven't had time to think about my future. I have some ideas and job offers, but I don't know. I might be working in Greenville helping to start an interdisciplinary sleep practice, I might be a lab coordinator for the Clemson Psychology department, I might go work abroad? I am not really sure, but after having my entire life planned out with a plan A, B, and C since I was in high school, I am excited to not have a plan and just see where life and different opportunities will take me.“ - Emily Scircle, AC ‘15

Fun Facts about Emily:

- Where is your happy place? The grass on the Upper North Green by Brackett Hall that overlooks the library below the Carillon Gardens. It's where I do my best reflecting of my favorite Clemson moments and the place that gives me the most peace. I love sitting there and staring at the orange lights reflecting from the library on the pond. I feel connected to every single student that has gone to Clemson when I sit there and all of the outside noise falls silent.

- Dream job? I would love to be a neuro-ophthalmologist where I can do sleep and circadian rhythm research, educate about sleep health, still see patients and do cataract surgeries, and influence legislation that regulates the light that is emitted from light bulbs, smartphones, computers, and TV's.

- 3 things on your bucket list? (1) Visit every state and every country, (2) Go sky diving, (3) Start a non-profit

Carter Dwight

Carter has spent her Clemson career in service to ADPi and the Panhellenic community as a whole, and even carried that love across oceans and continental borders to Nepal. We can’t wait to see what comes next for our aspiring attorney and future bulldog.

“Since freshman year, my confidence has increased enormously as a result of my experiences and my environment. I attribute most of this growth to the support system I have found in ADPi! So many of my favorite experiences at Clemson have been connected to ADPi, both directly and indirectly. For instance, while serving as the Finance Vice President for ADPi, I developed leadership and management skills that later convinced me to apply for the finance position on Panhellenic Exec. Serving on Panhellenic Exec as the Vice President of Finance & Administration was one of the most rewarding opportunities that I have had during my time at Clemson. After serving as the Finance Vice President of ADPi, I was able to use my experience to implement a brand new accounting system for the Panhellenic finances. My favorite part about serving on Panhellenic Exec was the group of people I served alongside, all of whom were from different Panhellenic chapters.

During spring break of my sophomore year, I traveled to Nepal with Clemson Panhellenic to break ground on a school on behalf of Circle of Sisterhood. Looking back, this is one of my most memorable moments as a Clemson student because I felt the impact of the Clemson family on the opposite side of the world (literally!).

Majoring in mechanical engineering has presented many challenges over the last four years. In particular, I have learned (and am still learning) how to balance academics with my friendships and other activities. In August, I will begin law school at the University of Georgia to pursue a legal career in intellectual property. After graduating from law school, I plan to stay in the Southeast and hopefully start a family.” - Carter Dwight, AC ‘15

Fun Facts about Cater:

- Spirit animal? My dog, Henry!

- Fav quote? “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.” - Vince Lombardi

- 3 things on your bucket list? (1) Go skydiving, (2) Visit all 7 continents, (3) Spend New Year’s Eve in Times Square