Meet Lauryn Bouldin Betterton, Theta
To say joining Phi Mu as a freshman in college was one of the most impactful decisions of my life would be an understatement. During my senior year of college, a visiting Chapter Consultant encouraged me to apply to be a Consultant after graduation. Phi Mu gave me my first post-undergraduate job and helped me learn that I love creating “outside of the classroom” learning experiences for college students. Learning this about myself helped me make my next career move as
a student affairs practitioner at The Ohio State University. None of this would be possible without Phi Mu Foundation’s support of the Chapter Consultant program.
I have been serving as a volunteer in multiple roles for almost five years. I have had the privilege of working with incredible staff and fellow volunteers who have supported me, challenged me, and cheered me on. My resume has flourished as a result of my volunteer experience. I have learned how to recruit and coach committee members, oversee budgets of hundreds of thousands of dollars, design curriculum, facilitate training sessions for hundreds of collegiate members, and the list goes on and on. The professional development opportunities I have had as a volunteer have been outstanding. In fact, in a recent job interview, I was asked more questions about my Phi Mu experiences than any of my employment history. When applying to my MBA program, my Phi Mu volunteer mentor wrote one of my letters of recommendation.
The support network that Phi Mu has provided me is endless. It is a web that is connected to women all over the country in all walks of life who are selfless in giving of their time and talents. The Phi Mu Foundation Ella Jean Kromer Scholarship reinforces this web as it continues to shape my personal and
professional development. I am pursuing my MBA while still working full time as an investment in my future and my family’s future. I want to open doors and shatter glass ceilings for myself and all of those in my community. One of my primary goals is to fully fund my degree without student debt. I want to be able to launch myself into the next phase of my career free of the fear and insecurity that student loan debt creates. This Phi Mu Foundation scholarship is not just an investment in me and my education. It goes much further. It is a part of the legacy of opportunities that education has created for me.
Lauryn is an alumna member from the Theta Chapter, at Belmont University and a recent Phi Mu Foundation Scholarship Recipient.
“I have Sickle Cell Anemia, which is a blood disorder that causes such intense pain, typically in my bones. (Several medical institutions rate it some of the worst pain on earth, right next to childbirth). Ever since I was born it’s been a struggle and more recently, I’ve been trying to undergo a clinical trial. It’s a stem cell transplant and I’ll have to do things like chemotherapy and exchange transfusions all while I’m in school. Because I had to make so many appointments in Philadelphia, I had to move out of my campus housing, a dorm that I loved. Phi Mu has been a place where people support me no matter what and help me grow and prosper and to know that I have even alumnae backing me up as I’m going through such a hard time in my life is really truly awe-inspiring.”
Along with generous donors like many of you, Phi Mu chapters across the country worked hard to fundraise for Phi Mu Foundation in honor of the M3 Campaign this spring.