A Student’s Point of View: Other Important Influences when at College
Sometimes being a student does not provide enough emotional satisfaction and students look elsewhere to broaden their experiences. RIT provides so many clubs and extracurricular opportunities including Greek life. It should be no surprise that Greek Life at RIT is much different than anything you’ve seen in movies. That being said, I though it might be interesting to share my experiences as a part of Greek life and the personal growth I experienced and its influences on my studies since joining a sorority.
I came to RIT with no intention of joining Greek life. I was outgoing, but I still believed I was too shy for something like Greek life. Plus, I was one of the many people who believed that joining a sorority or fraternity was a waste of time. But now I have come to learn it’s not!
After many months at RIT, I decided to go through the recruitment process. I was feeling like I needed something more at RIT and wanted to find a solid group of strong women I could associate with. To my surprise, I was welcomed into the community with open arms without hesitation. Immediately, I knew I made the right decision.
So, what does this have to do with the photo school? Well, joining Alpha Sigma Alpha (ASA) has given me confidence. Not just physical confidence, but the confidence to do new things and the confidence to push my boundaries beyond what I thought I could handle. My sisters and all other Greek organizations have taken me out of my comfort zone and have provided me not only support but full encouragement for everything I do.
As many of you may recall, I started out as an advertising photography student and decided to double major in photographic sciences. In the spring, I was having hesitations of my decision, because it was causing me too much stress and I could tell I was not as passionate about taking photos anymore. This feeling was terrifying to me and I had never felt this way before. I did not know what to do at first, but then I began to feel comfortable knowing that I needed to find a new balance and cut out what was potentially holding me back. I decided to pursue only one major, photo science.
I was talking with my photo science classmates and we decided it was time to revamp the photo science club. It was dying off and we did not want to see that. We all took the initiative to salvage what was left and I was elected as the president. Without my confidence, I do not think I could have pushed myself to do as much as I have done for the club.
Being a photo student has actually opened up many doors in Greek life for me. Because of my knowledge of photography and talking with clients, I was elected to the Editor and Historian positions. This position is in charge of the annual Christmas card sent out as well as the house composite.
Throughout this semester, I have been shooting tons of photos for our sorority events. I don’t need to do this but I actually want to do this. It’s nice because I have found joy in taking photographs again, plus we end up with some awesome photos together. Being able to see the love and compassion in the sisterhood through my pictures is a privilege. With the photos I have taken and several other sisters, I’m composing a scrapbook for the year similar to what was done in the past.
This blog post is not a suggestion to “Go Greek!” but rather this post is about me trying to share, “Make the most of your time at RIT. Take situations that may bring you down and turn them into something empowering. Use your skills to your advantage to bring joy to people”. The only choice I regret making at RIT is not putting myself out there sooner. If you are hesitant, I suggest you just do it. What is the worst that could happen?
About Mia Guariano
Mia is a third-year Imaging and Photographic Technology student from Syracuse, New York. In her free time, she enjoys painting, baking, and hanging out with her family, especially her grandparents.
