From A Chickadee: aamani
You’d think that having lived in Austin for four years, I’d know my way around this place already. Alas, half of my freshman year, all of my sophomore year, and half of my junior year were taken away from me by the COVID-19 pandemic. I’ve barely explored Austin, and I know nothing about the hidden gems it offers. I’m a wanderer pretending to be a well-seasoned upperclassman. I’m flailing my way through senior year with no one to guide me.
Well, actually, that’s not all true. In my sophomore year, I joined Chi Kappa Phi Service Society, commonly known as KPhi. You might know what that is if you’re on the blog page of the website. I was recruited into the Iota class and was thrust into the world of consistent volunteering, society events (I barely knew what that phrase meant when I first joined), and something cool and out of this world called the Peep Project (More on that later). The first thing KPhi provided me with was something coveted in my graduating class, who enjoyed only one measly semester of freshman year: friends.
Most of the work I did for KPhi in my first year in the org as a sophomore was online. Despite this, I formed meaningful connections with members of the organization, including my peep class, who were my fellow first-years in the org. I was feeling disconnected from the pandemic for the first two-thirds of 2020, but KPhi brought me into the light and plugged me into a connected realm of people. I wasn’t alone anymore. And through the Peep Project, my cohort and I bonded over the toils and troubles of planning a grand fundraising event. Particularly, when we sold carnations for Valentine’s Day as part of the project in the spring semester, we stuck ourselves out in the cold during the 2021 Winter Storm and became closer over shared pain borne by our passion for doing good in this world. We raised a considerable sum of money for Austin Angels, an organization for foster children in central Texas, and I couldn’t have been prouder.
These friendships pulled me through the pandemic and still nourish me today. Nowadays, I do volunteering, go to social events, and participate in the org as an inducted Chickadee. And I can honestly say I’m having a great time. I may have missed out on a lot of what Austin has to offer so far, but I can go to those places with KPhi members. I may not have a great sense of direction in life, but my fellow chickadees give me the companionship I need to navigate these growing pains. I happily go to society events (I know what those are now) and am satisfied that even if I don’t know what I’m doing, I have people who can help me find out.
Fly,
Aamani Pillutla
Iota Class