I caught up with Virginia Zeta Jessica Opalski at Founders’ Day hosted by the Nation’s Capital-D.C. Alumnae Club as she makes a big step in her life: Jessica is moving to Roanoke, Virginia, to pursue a Master of Education in Counseling from Virginia Tech University.

For nearly a decade, she has utilized her business degree working in large corporations and for the government in the Washington, D.C. area. Through her work of creating educational programming towards targeted issues, Jessica was exposed to individuals affected by addiction. As her passion grew for this, she wanted to find a new way to help those suffering with addiction. She made the decision to earn another degree and after graduation, she hopes to work in clinical mental health.

Pi Phi has been so much more in adult life than she ever expected as a collegian. In fact, she is blown away with what Pi Phi can be, thanks to her time as a member of the club. Two of the three recommendation letters required for her graduate school admissions process were recommendation letters from Pi Phis she had met through the club.

Jessica knows that wherever she goes, she will stay involved in Pi Phi. “You get what you put in – it is true,” she says.