On October 10, 2018, Hurricane Michael hit my hometown of Lynn Haven, Florida as a Category 4 storm. The night before the storm made landfall, there was a general consensus throughout the town that the hurricane wouldn’t be horrible; we expected we would lose power for a few hours, maybe even a day or two, but that would be the full extent of the impact … but we were wrong.

Around 4:00 a.m. on the 10^th, my parents, brother and I woke up and after listening to the news, decided we were better to be safe than sorry and relocated to a “shelter” like building where another family was staying. The storm made landfall around 1:00 p.m. and it was one of the scariest experiences of my life. You could look out the window and see 100+-year-old pine trees breaking in half – dumpsters, pieces of tin from roofs and street signs flying down the road. The noises the wind was making were almost deafening because they were so loud and violent. When the storm eased up, we walked outside and our entire town was unrecognizable; it truly looked like a wasteland (and still does).

While we were only a half mile from our house, it took around four hours to access our neighborhood because there were so many trees and power lines down. Our house had multiple trees on top of it that crushed areas of the roof and the windows were blown in on all sides, allowing for water to soak everything we owned. We really didn’t have much time to prepare for the storm so we lost everything that was inside, except for a photo book from this past Christmas and a metal cross that I was able to salvage. Our house is considered a total loss due to the roof and water damage and the mold that has begun to grow everywhere. We will have to rebuild completely.

Even though Hurricane Michael has been a tragedy, Phi Mu has made such an impact on my family and me. I am in graduate school at Valdosta State University and with the uncertainty of jobs for my parents and the added expense of having to move to another city for an extended period while we rebuild, Phi Mu has given us peace that my living expenses such as food and rent will be paid for so that I can continue with my education. Without assistance from Phi Mu, I truly am not sure that I would be able to continue going to school without creating a big financial burden on my family.

I cannot say thank you enough!

You can lend a helping hand to sisters just like Anna Layne with a gift to the Foundation’s Member Assistance Funds.  Click here to give today and select “Heart & Hand Fund” from the drop-down menu.

Foundation Member Janeen Judah has worn many hats in her time in Phi Mu, but you may know her best from her role as Constitution and Bylaws Chairman. For years, Janeen has ‘run the floor’ during Convention business sessions, informing members of proposed changes to the Constitution and Bylaws each biennium, and answering any questions they might have as they prepare to cast their vote.  In addition to C&B Chairman, Janeen is also a Past National Council Member, 1852 Society Member and a Three Star Foundation Donor. Janeen is always there to lend an experienced ear and has been instrumental in helping to advance the Fraternity and Foundation over the years.

Earlier this year, Janeen announced her retirement after a trailblazing engineering career with Chevron. Most recently serving as the president of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and as general manager of Chevron’s South Africa business, Janeen’s rich experience in her industry won’t stop with retirement. Now serving on the board of directors for Patterson-UTI Energy, Janeen is expanding her passion for STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) through her work.

“I am a big advocate for engineering as a surefire way for first-generation college students to get on a career trajectory with only four years of college and little debt, if you help finance your college with internships. Most of the grand challenges faced by our society are engineering challenges — energy for all, technology access, clean air and water, climate change, medical advances (as the interface between engineering and medicine gets fuzzier) — and the need for technical minds has never been greater. Girls should not be afraid to aim high and study STEM fields and be problem-solvers!” (Quote taken from an article on Janeen, written by Pink Petro. Click here for the full interview.)

Building on Janeen’s personal and professional commitment to investing in women in the engineering industry, we are proud to announce that the Janeen Judah Sisters in Engineering Scholarship will be available for the 2019-20 academic year. Thank you, Janeen, for helping to advance the lifetime development of women and the next generation of groundbreaking engineers!

If you are interested in learning more about how you or your chapter can establish a scholarship fund, please contact Director of Major Gifts Mandi Young at myoung@phimu.org.

This summer at Convention, we had the opportunity to hear from one of our Phi Mu Foundation Scholarship Recipients, Dr. Jennifer Rhatigan, Alpha Nu, on how her scholarship helped her accomplish her academic and career goals. Dr. Rhatigan joined Phi Mu at the University of Florida and later received her Master’s Degree from North Carolina State University with the help of a Phi Mu Foundation Scholarship. When she graduated from N.C. State, NASA was hiring engineers to design and build the International Space Station, and she had the incredible opportunity to be part of that team. If you happen to look up and see the Space Station in the night sky, remember that a Phi Mu helped build it!

“In 1987, I was pursuing a Master’s Degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at North Carolina State University. As a scholarship recipient, Phi Mu Foundation believed in me at a time when women were openly discouraged from pursuing engineering degrees, much less advanced degrees in engineering.”

In addition to her amazing career in mechanical and aerospace engineering, Dr. Rhatigan also serves as Chapter Adviser for the Eta Sigma Chapter at University of California-Merced and is a member of the Legacy League annual giving program.  Thank you, Dr. Rhatigan, for giving back to Phi Mu and inspiring all of us to reach for the stars (quite literally)!