Alpha Epsilon Phi - University of Illinois

Mu Chapter Strand of Pearls 2 S he was only 5 years old, watching Jean Driscoll and the other University of Illinois wheelchair racers compete in the Boston Marathon, when dr. Anjali Forber- Pratt '03 discovered a role model and her true calling: wheelchair racing. "There was so much power seeing someone like you, and it went so deep. I even dressed up as a winner of the Boston Marathon for Halloween. It was my favorite costume and goes to show how important role models are," Anjali expressed. Anjali was diagnosed with transverse myelitis at 4 and a half months old, which left her paralyzed from the waist down. But she never let that douse her spark. The inspiration and desire she got from watching Jean Driscoll and the Boston Marathon led her to the University of Illinois, an institution with a rich history of competitive wheelchair athletics. During her freshman year at UI, Anjali never gave much thought to Greek life. However, as a sophomore, she was convinced by a friend to go through formal recruitment, and she was admittedly looking forward to the excitement of the experience more than actually joining a sorority. Then, she met the women of Alpha Epsilon Phi. "I was pleasantly surprised by how welcoming and inclusive AEPhi was. A girl in the class ahead of me was also in a wheelchair, so they already installed portable ramps and knew how to meet my needs. But more importantly, they were just great women," she said. "What started as curiosity led to lifelong friendship full of powerful and fun memories." Anjali didn't get into wheelchair racing until later in her college years, with the heavy training occurring during graduate school. She was a wheelchair sprinter, and her regiment consisted of two to three hours of practice, six days a week. While the training was grueling, she also had to prepare the right mindset. On top of competing, she had other commitments like school work and an assistantship to help pay for her schooling. All of this hard work eventually paid off. "One of my proudest moments was being named to the first U.S. national team," she said. "It had always been a dream of mine since I was 5 years old to compete at the international level." As a racer for the U.S., Anjali medaled in many competitions. She won two bronze medals (400-meter and 4x100 meter) in the Beijing Paralympics; a gold medal (200-meter) and three silver medals (100-meter, 400-meter, and 4x100 meter) at the World Championships; and she even broke the world record for the 200-meter race at an event in 2011. Beyond her athletic success, Anjali is also a proud three-time graduate of the University of Illinois, most recently earning a Ph.D. in human resource education. She now lives in Nashville, Tennessee, and works as an assistant professor in the Department of Human and Organizational Development at Vanderbilt University. Thank You, Loyal Alumnae W e wish to extend our gratitude to the alumnae who chose to support Alpha Epsilon Phi. Your gifts make it possible for our undergraduates to reside in a safe and comfortable home while remaining competitive at the University of Illinois. The following is a list of alumnae who donated to our spring annual campaign appeal. Thank you for your support! Vivian Zwick '35 Toby Sachs Blickman '40 Joan Neustadt Weil '43 Jill Kuttner Bohlin '68 Charlene Kantor Schuman '70 Denise Boorstein Caplan '76 Cheryl Kraff-Cooper '76 Deena Weixelbaum Baldino '87 Allison Mangurten Gunzburg '87 Andrea Halperin Kowalski '87 Michelle Portes Jarol '96 Mara Genender Parker '00 sEtting thE Bar highEr Dr. AnjAli Forber-PrAtt '03 reFlects on the imPortAnce oF surPrising YourselF Dr. Anjali Forber-Pratt '03 racing for Team USA. AlUMNAe News June steiner rose '48 thinks that she might be one of the oldest living sisters. She still keeps in touch with several sisters and lives in Cleveland, Ohio. louise doernberg lamensdorf '56 reports that her daughter joined AEPhi at the University of Texas, and now her granddaughter is also a member. Louise has been cooking professionally for 37 years and operated her award-winning restaurant, Bistro Louise, for 15 years, which she closed in 2011. She is now an award- winning caterer. She lives in Fort Worth with her husband, Hugh. E-mail: hlamen@ charter.net Marci Morgan robinson '76's daughter, Aly, lives in Tel Aviv. Her son, Sam, got married in July in Los Angeles. Marci lives in Livingston, N.J. E-mail: marcidrobinson@ aol.com Andrea halperin Kowalski '87 and her husband, Derek, have three sons, Elliot, Joshua, and Benjamin. Elliot, a recent Sigma Nu graduate from Illinois, will (Continued on page 4) President Ariel shilitz '15 VP Operations Alison Perlman '15 VP Standards Julia Nusgart '15 VP Finance sami glazer '15 VP House Manager emily Magid '15 VP Recruitment gertie Bakalus '15 sam davis '15 VP New Member Educator Kara Kilpatrick '15 VP Social Responsibility lisa goldsman '15 VP Philanthropy Kelly Mccauley '15 VP Programming Andrea Neiman '15 VP Panhellenic Delegate dorothy christoforou '16 2017 Executive Board

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