Why not?

Every one of us has a unique perspective and story to share. This week’s sisters are all united by the common theme of taking leaps of faith. Sometimes, the unknown can feel paralyzing and feelings of defeat creep in, but leaning into the light of opportunity and strength in self can fuel that first step with fervency; everything worth having lies on the other side of fear.

Kala Campbell

A story of strength that needs no introduction, just sheer admiration for the struggles and successes that have shaped Kala into the ambitious, creative, and inspirational sister she is today.

“I’m a sophomore majoring in Philosophy with an emphasis in law, Liberty, and Justice and also planning on minoring in American Sign Language. I’m from Forsyth, Georgia but have also lived in Alabama, Illinois, and Pennsylvania for different portions of my life!

My “Why Clemson” story is a bit more chaotic than others - I grew up in a die-hard University of Georgia family and was raised to go there and continue the family legacy since my dad was on the 1980 football championship team there and also served as their Vice President of the College of Engineering. I thought I had my whole future figured out. However, on June 2nd, 2017 my dad was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. We started Chemo treatments immediately in hopes of there being a chance, but as it continued to spread all we could do was pray for time. Sadly, time ran out on September 20th, 2017. My life changed forever on that day and all I could think about was getting away, especially getting out of state or even out of the country. My dad and I were very similar, not only in appearance, but also in personality. He was the most ambitious and determined person I ever knew; if he had set a goal, he achieved it. We were also both very adventurous, we loved the outdoors and traveling. I always dreamed of going overseas and begged for years for a family trip to go. After my dad’s passing, I wanted to go anywhere but UGA. So, I decided it was time to go overseas and get away from it all. I was two days away from signing paperwork to study abroad my freshman year at a university in Australia, when I got my Clemson acceptance packet. Now, growing up die hard UGA fans, I have never looked at any schools outside the SEC and applied for Clemson on the night the application closed, so getting an acceptance letter was a shock for me. The next day I drove to campus and decided halfway through the tour that this would be my future home. Don’t get me wrong, switching from red to orange was a struggle - I wore white to almost every football game last year and still get made fun of for it to this day.

After being here for a year I wouldn’t trade it for the world because it really does feel like home, and a huge part of that is ADPi. All my friends and some family were ADPis at UGA, so I went into Recruitment knowing I wanted to be an ADPi. These girls here have been there for me through the highs and lows, whether that means getting me cupcakes and being there for me on the one-year mark of my dad’s passing or covering me head to toe in glitter for Bid Day this year. I’m so thankful for all the friendships that ADPi has given me and the memories I have been able to make through our amazing chapter.

Another aspect of Clemson I love is how close it is to Atlanta because it allows me to keep my job during the school year! I work as a sales representative and model at the Fashion Apparel Mart in downtown Atlanta. Here, vendors fly in from Los Angeles with their designers’ brands and set up booths that we work and model in. Boutiques from all over the nation come to find the newest trends and styles for the upcoming season. I love getting to model the clothes and talk to buyers from all over to help them purchase items that best suit their clientele. Words can’t express how thankful I am for my job as it allows me to travel and work in different cities such as Dallas, Las Vegas, Chicago, and New York City. I’m already counting down the days until the October Mart when I get to go back and work so I can stock up on new styles coming out and prepare my closet with accessories I’ll need when studying abroad in Florence in the spring!” - Kala Campbell AC ‘18

Fun Facts:

If you could eat dinner with one person, living or dead, who would you choose and why?

“Kind of sappy, but if I could eat dinner with any person I would choose my Dad just so I could see his face when he sees his little girl wearing the forbidden color orange. I would also give anything to hear him tell me his “life advice” that he would either text me, or even yell at me, especially before big events, to motivate me:

1. Have Fun

2. Work Hard

3. Do your best

4. Stay Focused”

If you were an ice cream flavor, what would you be?

“I am an ice cream addict. If I was an ice cream flavor I would have to be cookies and cream with cake batter mixed in because it’s a classic flavor with a little something extra mixed in.”

Famous person you'd like to be BFFs with?

“A famous person I would like to be BFFs with is without a doubt Mila Kunis. She has been one of my favorite actresses for forever. Jackie Burkhart from That ‘70s Show was my idol. Even though Jackie wasn’t the brightest girl on the show, I loved her determination, amazing sass, and confidence that she always portrayed. My high school senior quote was from Jackie Burkhart when she said “if I could run across the beach into my arms, I would” I think in today’s society with the craziness of social media that everyone needs that same type of self-love, confidence, and boss girl attitude.”

Caroline Daw

Caroline teaches us that the Lord’s calling is good, small steps sow big seeds, and true freedom comes when you accept yourself and learn to let go.

“Throughout my junior year of high school, I struggled with a decent amount of fear. I knew who I was and Whose I was, but I constantly found myself struggling with fear of the little what-ifs of life. This took a pretty big toll on how much my faith and identity grew during that time of my life. However, it was made clear to me that my battle to overcome fear was pretty common for other people too. So, a little seed to write a devotional was planted in my heart. However, it was not until my freshman year at Clemson that I really felt called to complete the devotional over the summer before sophomore year - and now we have it!

Casting Out Fear is a 5-month Devotional and Bible-reading plan that walks through 150 verses in the Bible talking all about fearlessness. The name of the devotional was always on my heart, but I guess it comes mainly from 1 John 4:18 that says ‘Perfect love casts out fear.’ The crazy thing is that every step along the way, I always felt a tremendous amount of peace and certainty that I was doing what I was supposed to be doing. So, when it came to little things like naming the devotional, printing the devotional, and even deciding when to start and finish the writing period, I knew that God had me in the palm of His hand. However, even with His holy confidence at my back, it definitely was a daunting task to write a 5-month devotional in 40 days. I would wake up every morning and not do anything until writing for that day was done. Each day I would write about 5 or 6 different verses and passages. But let me tell you, that Old Testament is a hard thing to study through, and also sometimes was a very hard thing to write about. That being said, everything about praying for, writing, and completing Casting Out Fear was a joy to me. The community that surrounded me in prayer and support while I wrote it and the success that it has had just within the past few months is astounding.

To date, Casting Out Fear is in 15 different states and on 16 different college campuses. God is on the MOVE and He is so cool! He was so gracious to me to let me write it. For the pre-med math major that I am, writing a devotional definitely was out of my comfort zone, but for and in Him, my identity includes being a writer. I know that there certainly are more books in the works - the next one being a year-long study.

I decided to wait until my sophomore year to go through Recruitment because I wanted to get to Clemson and get my identity figured out first before I commit to something as awesome and as consuming as a sorority. Being from Florida, Greek culture at FSU and FU had a very different atmosphere and is much more of a key attribute to who you are than at Clemson. But, I needed to see this for myself throughout my freshman year. And oh boy! From the first conversation in the first round, my experience in ADPi was unparalleled. I felt so loved and so known and so cherished by every radiant young woman that I talked to, which was incredibly refreshing. I walked in ADPi and I could breathe. The feeling that I felt every time I walked into an ADPi round was similar to the way that I felt when I first stepped foot on Clemson’s campus as a potential student. So, just like I knew that Clemson was home, I knew that ADPi was home too.

For my sophomore year, I aspire to live a life of wholeheartedness and fullness. From studying and attending class to time with sisters and friends to time devoted to being a YoungLife leader to the crazy wild adventures of this beautiful life, I want everything that I do to be done with my whole heart and with fullness of the fruits of the Spirit.” - Caroline Daw, AC’19

Fun Facts:

Where is your happy place?

“I LOVE to be outside, especially surrounded by water or the mountains. So, put me on a boat or on a hike up to a peak, and I’m a happy girl!”

Who is a celebrity you’d like to be bff’s with?

“Chance the Rapper. I think he would be a fun friend just to have and hangout with, which definitely would be very entertaining. I feel like he would be able to read the mood of a room well, and know when to go wild and crazy but also know when to not. I also would not mind being on the inside of his inner circle, because I mean, He is a pretty cool dude!”

What is your go-to throwback jam?

“Favorite oldie: Dancing in the Moonlight by King Harvest. It is probably the happiest song that I have ever heard and I also LOVE to dance. It always puts me in the mood to bop my way around a dance floor and jump on the stage and sing along with the band.”

Erin Huff

Combining her travel bug and heart for healthcare, Erin packed her bags for Thailand to spend her last summer before graduation on the biggest adventure yet.

“This summer I had the incredible opportunity to serve as a Healthcare Administration Intern in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I was lucky enough to receive a grant from Clemson’s Calhoun Honors College and spent my summer working at a local hospital right outside the city. I helped with a wide array of tasks including patient intake, health literacy, strategy and promotion, and information management. I was able to go out into the community and meet patients as well as helping spread public health knowledge. I was fully immersed in the Thai culture and even lived in a homestay with a Thai host mom. Every morning I woke up to the town rooster and then walked to work. This was one of the most enriching and rewarding, as well as challenging, experiences of my life. It was challenging to adjust to such a different culture and there was definitely a learning curve in understanding the Thai language and customs. One of the biggest challenges was communicating with those around me. I learned a little Thai while I was there but often had to find creative ways to communicate effectively. This challenged me to get out of my comfort zone and get comfortable being uncomfortable.

I also had the opportunity to travel around Southeast Asia while abroad, and got to play with elephants at a sanctuary for the endangered species. This was definitely one of the highlights of my life! I also spent a week living on a catamaran where I sailed and island hopped around Phuket and the southern region of Thailand. I met people from all over the world and saw the most naturally beautiful sights on this earth. Additionally, I was also able to go to Bangkok and Pataya, as well as Da Nang, Vietnam. One thing everyone knows about me is I LOVE to travel and am always looking for new places to go to. This summer allowed me to not only travel but also build my professional development.

My summer internship gave me the opportunity to combine my business economics degree with my passion for global healthcare. Growing up, I faced a lot of health issues and always knew I wanted to help make a difference in healthcare in the future. With strengths in math and business, healthcare management was the perfect way to combine these strengths with my passion. After graduating this December, I plan to move back home to Atlanta where I will either start graduate school to get my MBA and MHA degrees or start working and go back to school in a year or two.

As someone who dreamed of being a Clemson Tiger her whole life, it’s crazy to think that I have less than three months left as a student here. Clemson has always been my home and I couldn’t have asked for a better 3.5 years here. My advice for new members and freshmen is to just relax and enjoy every moment. You don't have to have everything figured out -- Clemson is the perfect place to learn and grow. You only have a few years to be in college so soak up every moment and take advantage of every opportunity. Your time in college goes faster than you can imagine but know you always have a home here in Clemson.” - Erin Huff, AC ‘16

Fun Facts:

Where is your happy place?

“As a cycling instructor, my happy place in being in the studio teaching. It truly challenges me to bring my best self to the table and be 100% in the moment. Plus, the energy the participants bring is contagious!”

If you could eat dinner with one person, living or dead, who would you choose and why?

“I would want to eat dinner with Kate Middleton and Prince William. I would love to know what it is like to be a royal.”

Who would you want to play you in a movie of your life?

“I would want Sophia Bush. She embodies confidence, boldness, and strength and I would be honored to have her play me. Plus she's an awesome actress!”