Pi Beta Phi - University of Southern California

Chapter President Sofia Schwarz '23 Vice President Operations Lila Motamedi '23 Vice President Inclusion Chaundra Furin-Campbell '23 Vice President Community Relations Anna Karlshoej '23 Vice President Finance and Housing Paige Huben '23 Vice President Member Experience Emma Hollander '23 Vice President Recruitment Maddie Sturgeon '22 Vice President Risk Management Kayla Gal '23 Chapter Officers 2 W anda Wen '82 has been attracted to creativity ever since she was young. Knowing it was in her blood and that she wanted to pursue a creative career, she majored in business at USC so she could cultivate a more linear part of herself. Not knowing anyone at the university, Wanda thought joining a sorority would be a fun way to meet people. She loved the diversity of Pi Beta Phi and how the chapter celebrated the individuality of its members. Pi Phi prepared Wanda for life, teaching her how to speak to a variety of people and be empathetic and compassionate toward others. After graduating, Wanda went into the fashion business, working in sales, merchandising, and marketing for Perry Ellis, Stephen Sprouse, Isda & Co., and Nick Graham. She has always maintained a love for paper, writing letters, and making cards. To further this passion, she got two printing presses and stored them in her garage. She worked as an apprentice at a letterpress studio, where Bonnie Thompson Norman mentored her and taught her the art of letterpress printing. "It was very empowering, as a female especially, to know how to work these one-ton machines and create beauty," Wanda shares. Wanda was getting married at the time and decided to make her wedding invitations, which was when she realized how much she loved playing with paper. Her stationary store, Soolip, opened in 1995 and is still going strong 29 years later. "When people ask me, 'What is Soolip?' I like to say, 'We create beauty,'" Wanda shares. Beyond wedding invitations, Soolip does bookbinding, box-making, company branding, and more. "Our clientele will come to us when they want an elevation of their vision," she says. Owning a business has not come without its challenges for Wanda—one of the biggest was being a mother of three while building Soolip. When her husband and business partner passed in 2007, Wanda became a single mother balancing her family and business. In 2008, a large dip in the economy challenged Soolip. Wanda is grateful to have persevered through it all; she is proud of the adults her children have become and the vision of Soolip she has maintained through the highs and lows. "I'm proud that I've been able to create a brand I started out of my own brain and heart and that it's become a brand that's synonymous with not just luxury but also the hand," she explains. In her business, Wanda offers a collection of creative arts workshops for her community to help people engage in that side of themselves. "I feel that a creative life is really important for a well-rounded human being." Wanda is in a loving relationship with her partner, George, who has taken her children as his own. They have a blended family with six children. Wanda's daughter (28) lives in Brooklyn, one son (25) lives in West L.A., and her youngest son (21) recently moved to Brooklyn. In her free time, Wanda loves to play piano. She is also a yoga teacher and practitioner and created a board game called YogaLand, for which she and her partners are working on a junior version. Wanda is an avid traveler and loves to spend time in nature gardening, camping, and skiing. Wanda is grateful for the lifelong friendships and network she created through Pi Phi. You can connect with her at wansoowen@aol.com. Soolip Owner Wanda Wen '82 Shares Her Love of Paper CREATING BEAUTY "Know your own divinity; know your own beauty. With knowing yourself, you can do anything," Wanda shares.

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