It was love at first sight when Connecticut Gamma Samantha Dyar first toured the Quinnipiac University (QU) campus. It is beautiful. The campus is surrounded by mountains and you walk through a trail in a mini forest to get to class, perfect for someone who enjoys hiking in her spare time. And as a senior looking back at her undergraduate career, the University truly has been the small, close-knit sense of community Samantha was looking for.

In high school, Samantha claims she was not involved (though I’m not sure I believe her), so coming to QU and joining Pi Phi helped her branch out in many areas around campus. As she became more active at QU, Samantha became confident in herself to serve in leadership roles. Additionally, the campus has provided plenty of opportunities to grow as a leader, which, in turn, helped her grow as a person.

Quinnipiac University’s Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life (OFSL) provides workshops from “FOUNDATIONS: New Member Experience” to “Greek Leadership Series” to “Social Event Manager Training” to help individuals grow as leaders. Samantha currently serves as Connecticut Gamma Chapter President and participated in the “Officer Training Academy.” Samantha believes the seminars encourage students to take on leadership roles and responsibilities they may not otherwise consider.

Samantha has continued to grow as a leader and currently holds executive board positions in the QU Psi Chi and the Psychology Club. Last fall, Psi Chi and Pi Beta Phi co-sponsored an event during the campus Mental Awareness event; the groups hosted a screening of the documentary, “How to Touch a Hot Stove.” According to Samantha, the premise of the movie is that individuals with mental disorders feel like they are hot stoves so no wants to be around them or talk to them about their issues. They brought the documentary on campus to help erase the stigma around mental illness and hopes that it helps show individuals how to help a friend or family member in need. Samantha is especially proud of the events as it allowed her to combine two of her interests together.