Alpha Chi Omega - Ohio State University

PAGE 3 T H E O H I O S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y DEBORAH'S ALPHA CHI OMEGA JOURNEY When Deborah Pfeifer Overmyer '75 went through formal recruitment, she had a preconceived idea of what sorority she wanted to pledge—until she got to the Alpha Chi Omega house. Alpha Chi stood out to her; the house with its Lyre balcony was beautiful, and the women were friendly, outgoing, and down-to-earth. "When I read the note during the candlelit traditional party that the girl who had rushed me wrote I started to cry. I felt in my heart—this is where I belong." Deborah cherishes the friendships she made during her four years at Alpha Omicron. She met one of her closest sisters, Mari-Jean Oswald Siehl '75, while standing on the sidewalk outside another sorority house waiting to go inside for their traditional party. The next day, they hugged each other when they became sisters in Alpha Chi. Being a Columbus native, Deborah enjoyed feeling a part of the university lifestyle by spending time at the house eating lunch with her sisters and spending the night after a TG in the Town Girl lounge ("themed gathering"). She became active as an officer, holding three positions including Lyre editor and recording secretary. One of Deborah's favorite memories about Greek life besides the recruitment parties, chapter dinners, Homecoming, Greek Week, and participating in the Greek sing were the fraternity TGs. It was at a TG with an agricultural fraternity, Alpha Gamma Sigma, that Deborah met her husband, Dennis. He stood up in his chapter meeting promoting the TG with the Alpha Chis stating, "My future wife could be walking the streets along 15th, but I wouldn't have a chance to meet her." The couple recently celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary. After marrying, Deborah and Dennis moved to West Lafayette, Indiana. Hoping to make friends in her new home, Deborah sought out the Alpha Chi connection at Purdue University. She became an active member of their alumnae chapter and was asked to be the ritual advisor for the Alpha Beta Chapter at Purdue. The couple, now a family of three, moved back to Ohio where Deborah joined the alumnae club of Dayton, serving as president for two years. Returning to Columbus and raising two kids, Deborah didn't have much time to devote to Apha Chi until their daughter, Alyssa, graduated from high school. It was at this time she was asked to serve on the Alpha Omicron House Corporation. She became an active member of the Alpha Iota Alpha Alumnae Chapter and is currently serving as the vice president of programming. "Alpha Chi has been a valuable lifeline to me. It has helped me to reconnect with my sister whom I met 50 years ago standing on the sidewalk outside that other sorority house only to become loyally in the bond of Alpha Chi sisterhood the next day." "Never thinking I would ever have a legacy, my most cherished memory was when my daughter became an alumna initiate in March 2023." ALYSSA JOINS THE SISTERHOOD Though Alyssa '23 was focused on her studies as a collegian and didn't join a sorority, when Deborah's pledge sister, Mari-Jean, brought up the idea for her to become an alumna initiate, the time was right. When Alyssa began researching Alpha Chi and going through the interview process, she aligned with the values of the sorority. "During one of my interviews with the local alumnae chapter, the president read one of the lines of the Symphony and I thought it was absolutely beautiful," she shared. "It struck a chord, and it just felt like this was the right place for me." The mother and daughter fondly recall Alyssa's initiation ceremony, where Deborah pinned Alyssa with Mari-Jean's pin—a heartwarming and emotional experience for them both. Since joining the sisterhood, Alyssa has dove right in. She immediately became vice president of membership of the alumnae chapter and has enjoyed planning new programming and meeting new people. Although she has only been a sister for a few years, she has loved making connections and appreciates the support she has received from everyone in the organization. In summer 2024, Alyssa, Deborah, and Mari-Jean attended Convention together, where Alyssa served as the chapter's voting delegate. "Being the voice of our chapter was pretty awesome. It was a deep dive into the Alpha Chi culture, and I soaked it all in; I loved every minute of it." They also enjoyed the Centennial Celebration. While Alyssa and Deborah are already close, being sisters has deepened their bond. They love supporting each other at their alumnae events and sharing the secret handshake and motto. "It's like a dream come true," Deborah said. President Ana Ramirez '23 axopresidentao@gmail.com VP Chapter Relations and Standards Ana Hoover '23 VP Finance Meredith Platek '23 VP Risk Management Violet Allgood '24 VP Ritual Lily Clark '24 VP Diversity Equity and Inclusion Polly Regan '24 VP Recruitment Natalie Mills '24 osu.alphachiomega.vp. recruitment@gmail.com (224) 433-8425 VP New Member Education Zella Poarch '24 VP Public Relations and Marketing Tansey Lee '24 VP Membership Programming Emily Dansack '23 Panhellenic Delegate Ava Palombo '24 VP Intellectual Development Alyssa Merkle '24 Vice President of Facility Operations Melina Kopczewski '22 Vice President of Philanthropy Anna Riesenberger '24 Vice President of Recruitment Information Paityn Bowman '24 Chapter Officers "We're More Than Mother and Daughter—We're Sisters" The Overmyers Share Their Alpha Chi Experiences Deborah and Alyssa at the 2024 National Convention in Indianapolis. You can connect with Deborah at overmyer.deborah@att.net and Alyssa at alyssaovermyer@gmail.com.

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