Phi Mu’s Legacy: Bigger than Oneself
Before I ever toured Bellarmine University, I knew I wanted to be a Phi Mu. My dreams were further confirmed once I enrolled and went through recruitment—being a part of something much bigger than myself with such a storied history both locally and nationally spoke deeply to me. My cohesive experience, and especially my experience as part of the Foundation’s Collegiate Leadership Council, evoked similar feelings.
On a warm July day, I opened my email to receive the news of my appointment to the Foundation’s Collegiate Leadership Council. As an aspiring advancement officer and a highly involved Phi Mu collegian, this was a dream come true! I would get to work alongside Foundation staff and fellow philanthropically inclined sisters to advance the Foundation’s mission—that is, of supporting its women in their holistic endeavors, whether academic, professional or in leadership. My experiences this year accomplished just that.
The highlights of my CLC experience have definitely been sharing the Foundation mission with my collegiate and local alumnae chapters, as well as seeing what my fellow CLC sisters have been up to. Each of these actions enabled us to share what Phi Mu individually means to us. In doing so, I learned once again just how far the Phi Mu experience reaches and how it impacts each member in different yet unifying ways.
Ensuring that these individual experiences can occur is the heart of the Phi Mu Foundation. My experiences have shown me how people can use their gifts and talents to benefit a greater cause, and how different strengths, when utilized together, can enhance an entire group. As a new alumna, these lessons are ones that I will certainly carry for a lifetime. I am forever grateful to the Foundation for entrusting me to serve in this role, and to Phi Mu as a whole for teaching me these lessons.
Lilly Caudill served on the 2019-2020 Foundation Collegiate Leadership Council and is an alumna of the Rho Zeta Chapter at Bellarmine University.
