Gamma Phi Beta - University of Oklahoma

GAMMA PHI BETA UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA P.O. BOX 442100 LAWRENCE, KS 66044-2100 Address Service Requested PSI SOONERS gammaphibeta-ou.org f facebook.com/ougphi l @ougphi @ougphi L ast fall, Lauren Barghols Hanna '00 and her family started sponsoring an extended family of Afghani refugees (who have five daughters with twin girls on the way) who fled the Taliban and are now resettling in Oklahoma. None of the girls had been to school previously or knew how to read or write; they are now attending public school and learning those skills in addition to how women in the United States fully participate in all the different areas of their communities. Gamma Phi Beta was one of Lauren's many inspirations to continue to do good in the world and one of the driving forces behind her decision to assist this family. Lauren kept an open mind during recruitment, but she instantly felt connected to the women of Gamma Phi Beta through genuine conversations. "I talked to people, like Lindsay Rayburn McIntyre '99 and Kathleen Gardenhire Copeland '99, about their campus involvement, community service efforts, and how their Gamma Phi sisters had already enriched their lives." Lauren embraced her time in the chapter house and enjoyed sharing moments with her sisters. "We celebrated academic successes together, supported our sisters' campus leadership events, shared so much laughter in the TV lounge, and helped each other through the tough moments we all faced at one point or another," she said. Psi also proved to be the place for her when none of her roommates ever grumbled about her six-days-a-week, 4:57 a.m. alarm for rowing practice! Living in the house, attending campus activities, council events, and football games, and participating in house activities were important parts of Lauren's college experience. When the opportunity came along to give back through The Next Century of Psi campaign, she took advantage of it. "It is so important for the house to be able to grow along with the larger pledge classes and ensure that each Gamma Phi sister gets to experience chicken cordon bleu formal dinners with their sisters, candle lighting ceremonies, the quiet camaraderie of studying for exams with their pledge class, and the fun of late-night Scandals rehearsals in the great room," Lauren said. Lauren has continued to give back to her sisterhood in other ways, and before the "I Can't Imagine My College Experience Without Gamma Phi!" HOW PSI CHAPTER ENRICHED THE LIFE OF LAUREN BARGHOLS HANNA '00 "My life has been enriched in so many ways through our Gamma Phi sisterhood. It is our responsibility as alumnae to give back to Gamma Phi so that active members have the same opportunities we had and can take advantage of all that OU has to offer." pandemic, she loved helping with recruitment and assisting with reviewing policies and procedures for the House Corporation board. In her career, Lauren enjoys her work as an employment attorney with Phillips Murrah, who is known as a Glass Ceiling Smasher Firm because of the high percentage of female attorneys and equity partners. On any given day, her daily tasks may include drafting employee handbooks and revising client policies and procedures, conducting investigations into workplace complaints, and defending companies who have been sued for violating state or federal employment laws. Lauren shares that she and her husband, Adam, recently celebrated their 12th anniversary. He is a NICU doctor at INTEGRIS Baptist Hospital, and she is proud of the tireless efforts that he and all healthcare workers have given to their community throughout the pandemic. The couple enjoys the crazy journey of parenting their 10-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son. Lauren's primary hobbies include teaching them "good" (old) music while driving them around town for their after-school activities. She also takes early-morning Pashto lessons to help the Afghani refugee family. You can connect with Lauren at lbhanna@phillipsmurrah.com to learn more about her career or her work with her sponsored family.

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