Ohio Lambda Erika Hripko has been a dancer since she was three years old, but it had never occurred to her that she could study dance in college. It wasn’t until she visited the campus of Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) that she learned about its unique dance program, and that she could study the subject in conjunction with her other love, the subject of science. Courses like Anatomy and Kinesiology for Dancers, and Nutrition and Psychology for Dancers were just a couple of the many classes offered. Erika, who took these classes with great interest, will graduate this spring with double degrees in Chemistry and Dance.

You might ask, what does one do with such degrees? Erika sees a lot of possibilities. She could go into dance medicine, a field related to orthopedic medicine but with a focus on physical artists. But that’s just one option. To better narrow down her aspirations, Erika plans to attend medical school.

When the Ring Ching Roadshow came to town, Erika had received her acceptance letter to medical school that very same day. “There’s no way I would have gotten into medical school without Pi Phi,” she said. “Serving on the Policy and Standards Board Committee helped me understand elements like confidentiality and the importance of personalized care. Making decisions about what’s best for my sisters is very similar to deciding what will be best for my future patients.”

Erika credits Pi Phi as being a welcoming haven of acceptance. When she first joined the sisterhood, she was inspired by Pi Phi’s value of Integrity, a value she feels translates to being authentic and true to oneself. Erika recalls her first week, where she herself had a choice to make when a friend asked if she was dating someone. Erika chose to be truthful, telling her sisters about her girlfriend, whom she is still with today. “Choosing to be myself that first week in Pi Phi … that was a make-or-break moment for me,” she said. “I chose to be real, and I think it’s important to show other sisters that they can be real, too, and also welcomed for it.”

Erika has taken this value a step further, putting words into action. She recently coordinated “Out and Greek,” a panel and discussion event where students could come and share their experiences of being LGBT at CWRU. Attendees then created action plans to form more inclusive spaces and communities, both on and off campus.

“I have this belief that the light you put out into the world gets shined back to you, and shines on others to make the world a brighter place,” Erika said. “This belief reminds me that everything I do, I should do to help others. It also reminds me in order to shine my light, I need to be good to myself so that I am able to give out that light to other people.”