Alpha Chi Omega - University of Missouri

4 Lyre Notes Spring Semester Ends on a High Note Academics, Philanthropy and Convention Yield Noteworthy Results H ello from the Alpha Nu Chapter of Alpha Chi Omega! My name is Julia and I am the current chapter president. As always, I am excited and proud to talk about what our chapter has achieved this past semester. As a chapter, we have continued to Seek the Heights in terms of academics and attained a GPA of 3.4 for spring 2018 semester. An impressive 31 women, or 11 percent of our chapter, achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA. Almost 70 percent of the chapter made the Dean's List! We continue to support our philanthropy, True North, a domestic violence shelter in Columbia, with a variety of activities throughout the year. In March, we held our annual These Hands Don't Hurt event with the men of Alpha Kappa Lambda, raising awareness about domestic violence and what healthy relationships look like. We sold paper cutouts of hands in Speaker's Circle on campus for $1. Those who purchased them got to write their name on the hand and staple it to our large display to show support of the chapter's efforts. We also introduced a new event—a 3-on-3 basketball tournament named Swishin' for Mission. Not only were these events a lot of fun, but we were also able to raise $1,500 to benefit True North. As always, we were active participants in Mizzou's Greek Week; paired with the men of Alpha Kappa Lambda, Tau Kappa Epsilon and Acacia. All of our members had a great time participating in service events, fundraising, performing a skit and competing with other chapters in various sports events. We placed first in the blood donation category! Over the summer, I attended the National Convention in Austin, Texas, along with our chapter advisor, Kristin Hathaway, Iota Lambda '11, and our vice president chapter relations and standards, Emily Wind '16. We had a great time and I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to meet so many sisters from across the country. Alpha Nu continues to strive for excellence and to Seek the Heights every day. Thank you all for your love and support. Please stop by the chapter house any time. We would love to see you. LITB, Julia Saak '15 Chapter President jcs7y3@mail.missouri.edu I n the fall of 2017, Simone Esters '16 began competing in pageants for the first time in her life. Having dreamt of competing in the Miss America organization, she decided to make that dream come true last September. To make the dream even more incredible—she was among the top five finalists for Miss Missouri. Q: I understand you were named the People's Choice winner of the Miss Missouri pageant. What was this competition like for you? A: The whole finals night of competition feels like a dream! As the People's Choice winner, I had secured the highest number of votes from family and friends. This allowed me to be named the 11th contestant in the Top 11, so my name was called last. Standing up on stage waiting for my name to be called was one of the most nerve-wracking moments of my life! Making the top 11 was my goal, and from that moment forward I just really tried to relax and enjoy my time on the stage. When I was announced for the Top 5 I could not believe it! Placing second-runner-up to Miss Missouri was a dream come true. Q: What is your favorite aspect of competing in beauty pageants so far? A: Competition wise, I love performing my talent, baton twirling. However, my favorite part of pageants as a whole is getting to meet so many amazing young women. Each contestant has a servant's heart and I strive to be more like them every day. Q: What is the most challenging part? A: This year the most challenging part was being a rookie. Many girls have been competing in pageants for years, and given this was my first time I had no clue what was going on most of the time! However, all the girls were so kind and always willing to help, which made it much easier. Q: Do you have any goals for future competitions? A: I am going to re-compete for a chance to go to Miss Missouri again. Ultimately, my goal is to be Miss Missouri so I can compete at Miss America. Given I am only 19 and you can compete until you are 25, I still have a lot of time. I already feel more prepared to be Miss Missouri and can't wait to hopefully be up on that stage again. Q: Why do you love being involved with Marching Mizzou? A: love being able to twirl at football games. I have been twirling since I was 6 and I love performing, so being able to twirl for Mizzou fans on Saturdays is one of the most exciting parts of my year. Q: Why did you join Alpha Chi Omega? A: I joined ΑΧΩ because going through recruitment I knew nobody at Mizzou, but every time I would walk into the house it would feel like home! I am proud to be an Alpha Chi Omega every day because these are truly the best women I know. Q: How would you describe your ΑΧΩ sisters' support of your pageant and marching endeavors? A: I have found my best friends in this sorority, and they have been nothing but supportive of me through this year. I am confident I won the People's Choice award because so many members voted for me. TIME TO SHINE Simone Esters Places in Top 5 at Miss Missouri Competition Pageant winner Simone Esters '16 (in white) with Alpha Chi Omega sisters.

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