Sister Spotlight + Why ADPi

LAURA TALTON, AC '17

For me, Clemson has always been home. Even though I was born and raised in Raleigh, NC, there was part of me that wished I had grown up in this little college town. From the time I was born to now, it was always the end of the world when my family had to pack up and drive 5 hours back to Raleigh for the week (yes, still now these are my emotions). My love for Clemson began with the wonderful world of football. I’m convinced there’s no other family as die-hard as mine; from the 600 mile round trip every weekend down I-85 to the 3 AM arrivals into town and everything in between, there’s no doubt that the Talton family is 100% All In.

Coming to Clemson I knew I wanted to be involved with the football team in any way that I could, so I got plugged into the Tiger Pride program. This is a group of college girls that work to ensure the recruiting side of football goes as smoothly as possible. We are in charge of making sure game days go as they should and working to show Clemson University in the best way possible for the recruits coming in. Recently, I was offered a paid position in the recruiting office at the football facility which greatly increased my excitement about everything football. This summer, I had the wonderful opportunity to work Dabo Swinney’s Football Camps and the Ladies’ Clinic. Camp took place at the beginning of June and ran for 2 weeks. Although exhausting at times, it was so much fun being around hundreds of other people who love football as much as me. I made sure that water cups were full at all times, put teams together on google docs, and when it came time for youth camp (2nd grade – 7th grade), gathering children was the big task. Reigning in large amounts of little boys at one time is all fun and games until they start fighting, but of course there was never a complaint spoken because of how much I loved it. The Ladies’ Clinic took place on July 21st and is an event that’s apart of Coach Swinney’s ALL IN Foundation, which raises money for women with breast cancer. It is always so cool to be apart of this and watch women’s lives change right before their eyes as they hear about the money raised and the new equipment being installed in local hospitals, all because of what Coach Swinney and his wife do for the organization. Clemson football always has been and always will be a huge part of me and brings me an insane amount of joy.

Aside from getting involved and working with Clemson football, joining ADPi was the best decision of my college career so far. I know I’m only going to be a sophomore, but I can honestly say there is nothing like being surrounded by all of your best friends and sharing an entire box of Pillsbury printed sugar cookies around the holidays while laughing until you cry. This sisterhood is unlike any other and I can confidently say that I will be friends with these girls until the very end. I know that they have my back and will support me through anything. Going through recruitment was hard, yes, but whenever I walked into my round at ADPi there was something special about the atmosphere and the genuine smiles I received from every girl that walked by me. I instantly felt at home and like I belonged. That sense of security that these girls made me feel was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. I met one of my best friends during second round (Nikki Ward, PC ‘14) and we ended up traveling to New Orleans together for the Sugar Bowl and had the most fun. One thing I have enjoyed the most this past year is traveling with my sisters on weekends and even this summer. A group of girls went to Asheville for a weekend in February and we shopped, ate, and laughed our way through the city. This summer Lauren Anderson and I also flew to St. Louis, MO to visit our best friend Kendall Goedeke for the week. Never in a million years did I think I would have a friend from Missouri, but ADPi gave me her and our sweet friendship and every other friend I have made has been such a blessing. I can say that without ADPi I would not have been confident enough to get involved with things on campus and put myself out there to dress in crazy outfits for mixers or even to get dressed up for formal. These are friends that turned into sisters that I know I will have for a lifetime. I am so thankful to ADPi for the opportunities, love, support, and friendship that I will carry forever.

That's it for our eleventh Sister Spotlight / Why ADPi of the summer! Make sure to keep up with us on Instagram, VSCO, and Facebook to see more of our sisterhood and to know when our next blog post is up!