Maryland Beta Anita Tracy, a member of the New Haven, Connecticut, Alumnae Club, works in the professional world as an aerospace engineer. Her sister often comments that she is actually an “arrow-space engineer,” an apt description that combines her two passions of Pi Beta Phi and science.

Anita’s experience with Pi Phi directly shaped the person she is today. In college, she was relatively shy, but joining Pi Phi and serving on the Executive Board taught her how to talk to people and how to teach them. “I credit Pi Phi and graduate school as having helped me to be able to talk to just about anyone,” she said. “I’m still not great at small talk, unless it’s about Pi Phi or my beloved Orioles! But in general, it doesn’t phase me to talk to someone who is just out of school or to someone who is a high-ranking executive. It simply is a matter of knowing your audience and changing your tone accordingly.”

When asked about her memories of Pi Phi, Anita recalls a busy few years. “I was always highly involved as an undergrad; I was on Exec about two weeks after I was initiated,” she said. “They decided I could be House Manager because I was an engineer and organized, but also because no one else wanted the job. While the role was frustrating at times, it was also a lot of fun.”

Now, Anita serves the Fraternity in other ways. As a member of the Alumnae Advisory Committee (AAC) for Connecticut Beta at Yale University, she has seen the chapter change and grow from a mere 30 collegians to more than 150. She enjoys mentoring the young women, especially assisting them in the areas of finance and budgeting. It is clear from speaking with her that Anita loves the Pi Phi value of Lifelong Commitment. “You could argue that I’ve been committed since the day I graduated,” she says. “My favorite part about serving now is that I can give back in a mentoring role. I can share my experiences and learning with the current collegians.”

What’s Anita’s favorite piece of advice? “Keep it simple,” she said. “You’re not going to solve every issue easily, but think about what you can do to make each step easier.”