UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Service has always been important to Breiuana White. Coming to Penn State and joining Zeta Phi Beta has allowed her to pursue this passion in college.
White, a fourth-year science student, is the vice president of Zeta Phi Beta. Because the chapter saw a decrease in members during the COVID-19 pandemic, White was inspired to become highly involved shortly after joining.
Since then, she has helped increase the chapter’s membership, rebuild its foundation and mentor newcomers. Her leadership and service to the chapter was acknowledged at the Greek Column Awards, a ceremony dedicated to recognize chapters and individuals who go above and beyond the Standards of Excellence.
The awards ceremony was hosted on March 15. White was honored with “Sorority Member of the Year.”
“I was very shocked and very happy,” White said. “I know other people within the Greek community here and they’re so awesome. The fact that they think I deserve this is very nice.”
Jackie Krol had a similar reaction to receiving the “Outstanding Executive Officer” award. Krol, a third-year elementary education major, serves as the vice president of communications and operations for Sigma Kappa. As assistant vice president of recruitment for the Panhellenic Council, Krol said she prioritized diversity training in the recruitment process by organizing mock-recruitment workshops with other chapters.
“I wanted to make sure recruitment was an inclusive space for everyone,” Krol said. “I definitely think that helped strengthen the relationships within our Panhellenic chapters…It really meant a lot to me that people saw that I did that successfully.”
According to Kayla Marrero, leadership within Greek organizations also benefits the Penn State community.
“Greek Life is not just how people see it,” said Marrero, retention recruitment adviser for Lambda Theta Alpha. “Greek Life is really about the service and the impact that we have on the community and being leaders on campus. Sometimes, people correlate Greek Life with partying and that’s not how we identify.”
Marrero, a third-year public relations student, received the New Member of the Year award for the Multicultural Greek Council (MGC). She said she did not know of her nomination until the day of the ceremony.
Marrero has been involved with several chapter and MGC events, including Take Back the Night — a program led by Lambda Theta Alpha with support from the University Park Undergraduate Association, the Gender Equity Center and Centre Safe.
Take Back the Night provides a space for victims of rape and sexual assault to share their stories and learn about campus resources. Students meet at Old Main Lawn and march to various locations around campus, stopping along the way for individuals to share their stories. The event ends with a candlelight vigil at Old Main Lawn.
“It felt good just to see that my hard work has been acknowledged,” Marrero said. “As a student and a student leader, you do so many things. It’s hard to recognize your hard work, especially when you are burned out.”
Gary Abdullah, the University adviser for Lambda Theta Alpha, said he has known Marrero since her first year at Penn State. He said he is proud of the work Marrero and the other members of the chapter have done to lead and serve in the Greek and Penn State communities.
“It’s good to recognize those who are putting in the work and doing things to make a positive change and impact in their environment,” Abdullah said. “Unfortunately, there can be many stereotypes — some that are built out of ignorance — surrounding Greek life. To recognize those individuals who are making positive impacts is an excellent thing.”
Sabrina Whitehurst, the primary adviser for Epsilon Gamma, echoed this sentiment. She commended the chapter’s president, Leila Filien, and vice president, Fatim Diaby, for receiving recognition at the awards. Filien received the “Outstanding Chapter Executive” award for the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) and Diaby received the “Rising New Member” award for NPHC.
Whitehurst said Filien is a “poised and outstanding leader” and that Diaby has “personified what sisterhood and service means” to Epsilon Gamma.
“Most of Greek life was founded on the principles of service and leadership,” Whitehurst said. “It is important for these sororities and fraternities to continue to contribute to these ideals in order for the Penn State community to thrive in excellence.”
Scott Granoff, adviser for Beta Sigma Beta, said he is proud of his chapter for adhering to the service and leadership standards of Greek life.
Granoff, who won the “Outstanding Adviser” award this year, said he is proud of the chapter for improving its Standards of Excellence scores and continuing its commitment to community service through THON, food insecurity projects and more.
“I really believe in the Standards of Excellence, even more than the award,” Granoff said. “The Standards of Excellence show that the group is doing good as a whole, and that’s what’s really important…I want us to be excellent.
Similarly, White said the time she has put into Zeta Phi Beta extends beyond her chapter.
“[My dedication to the chapter] goes back to what I stand for and what I want to do in life,” White said. “This is what I love to do. I want to leave the chapter better than how I found it and carry the baton of what people have done before me.”