“Simply put...the friendships I have made along the way. These are friends that share the same value of truth, honor and virtue. The Phis have always been the one group I can always count on for anything.”
--Pamela “Amber” Tasse-Mortimer, PC 1986
“Being a Phi is like being part of a family and always having a home to go to. Your sisters are diverse and interesting people and the family is always growing to add more. No matter where you are - whether it be back at the Berg, at home in New England, traveling through Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri, Wisconsin, or vacationing in Florida or Las Vegas... there's a Phi interested in getting to know you and willing to spend time chatting - not just about being a Phi but about you as a person. Because we value and respect each other as individuals. Age, profession, heritage, the place you call home -nothing matters except that you are my sister.”
–-Krista “Daphee” Schneck, PC 1992
“Well I must admit that this answer would be different at different times in my life since pledging. While on campus, I knew I always had a sister nearby when I needed one. After graduation, I kept in contact with many Phi sisters and many were at my wedding, but then there was a time where I guess that I didn't really feel that I needed my sisters. Not to mention, we were scattered all over the country.
Thanks to technology, I sometimes feel like I'm back on campus and sisters are always there when needed. Now instead of being next door in a dorm, an unbelievable number of sisters are just a mouse click away. Presently, I can say without reservation that the PHILINE is the BESTE part of being a phi! We support each other with job leads, career advice, shopping for wedding gowns, honeymoon tips, parenting issues, medical concerns, praying for each other or those in our extended families and this list truly does go on and on.
I pledged PHI 20 years ago, but in one way or another, it has had an impact in my life for all of those 20 years. I look forward to being asked this question in another 20 years!!!”
--Amy "Gonzo" Norenberg-Burkhardt, PC 1984
“Camaraderie, support, sharing a bond that no other group has, singing "O' Philalethean,"shouting "Da,Da,Da,Da,"picking up where you left off, whether it is after summer break or 10 years later as an alum.”
--Amy "Jewel" Lyncha-Morgan, PC 1990
“In addition to learning valuable skills, I have made lifelong friends that I can count on. Never was the Phi bond and lifelong friendships more apparent than at our 90th Phi Reunion last summer. Imagine 200 Phi girls descending on Tiffin and hanging out at Reinos, painting rocks, singing the night away in Hoernemann, and having a blast the whole time. During the reunion, I stayed with my Phi suitemate. We now live 10 hours away and have only seen each other twice in the past seven years. We don’t talk all that often, but the minute we are together we pick up from where we left off as if we have never been apart. There are many of us that still have not met each other, but our Ph line website has given the alumni an opportunity to interact with each other on a daily basis. This is a great place to share your ups and downs. Our Phi
sisters are first ones to hoop and holler when you share something exciting. They are also the first ones to lend a prayer, advice, or support in a time of need. I love having a daily Phi Link!”
-–Jennifer “Ciara” Sawicki-Mosher, PC 1993
“Is it being able to wear the gold and green and walk tall and proud on campus? No, not the best. Is it getting having a group of sisters to hang out with and go to Hoernemann with? No, not the best. Is it knowing that you are a part of a long-lasting tradition of sisterhood? No, not the best.
It is having a group of friends that you can become lifelong friends with that are companions with you throughout all of your good times and bad throughout your college and adult life. It is knowing that you have the strength of a bond of sisterhood with girls that are your peers, and ones that are much older and also younger than you. It is knowing that these friendships prove themselves to be more than just a passing thing, that they are there for a lifetime. This is a lifetime of sisterhood, not only with the sisters that you have gone to college with, but also those that you haven't- those that have gone through the traditions and rituals of the Philalathean Society at a different time than you, but that bond of sisterhood breaks down any differences that you might have. This is not a formality of tradition- it is a lifetime of sisterhood.”
-LeeAnn “Phisher” Jeffries-Hritz, PC 1989
“This is the very best thing about being a Phi, so many girls, from different generations, different states, different backgrounds who don't need to know anything about me other than I am a sister and going through a terrible time and really being there for me. I've been on both sides of the coin now... having my family and my church say prayers for those of you who have gone through difficult times, and now, asking you to think of me and my family as we go through this.
It is no longer about the skills that I learned as a Phi. At the end of the day it is all about being there for the people we love and doing whatever we can to let them know how much we care about them. Although most of my heart is pretty broken right now, there is a beautiful, warm, green and gold place that is filled with the good vibes sent by my sisters. Thank you."
--Mikki "Cocoa" Miller Zebell, PC 1987
"It's a lifetime of reuniting with other Phis and meeting new sisters and having more in common with these women than with most people you've known your whole life. No matter how long I go without seeing my sisters, the friendship hasn't changed. In most cases, it's just matured and deepened. Even my husband has learned the need for "Phi time". For me, it's a way of reconnecting with my roots, at a time when I learned who I was and who I wanted to be.
It's a lifetime of giggles about the Berg and pledging experiences, that either hit you when you are alone or with other Phis. Going through pictures of the Phis, I would laugh until I cried! The songs, the food, the clothes, the smells, it all brings it back!
It's a lifetime of learning who you are and how you impact the people and world around you. It taught me respect for our history and our traditions, not just Phi traditions, but United States and personal family traditions. It has instilled in me values that I want to teach my children. I know that I'm a totally different person whenI'm with my sisters than friends I've know for much longer. I'm free to really be myself and I know that whatever crazy/stupid things I do, (for the most part) they will love me unconditionally. It's a lifetime of knowing you are never alone, and if at 3am you need a shoulder to cry on, a Phi will be there for you. No matter what time of day or night, if a Phi needs me, I'll drop everything to be there or to help in any way I can. As an only child, the Phis have given me the large family that I could only DREAM of!
Being a Phi is the most valuable attribute I've taken from my years at the Berg. If I only knew when I was in the hall, what I know now, I wouldn't have taken things so seriously. Some major things that upset me while I was in the hall with other people, wouldn't even cause me to bat an eye today. Growing older as a Phi has really put a lot of things in perspective. Volunteering at work and in life has really pushed me further than if I would've sat by and let someone else do it. I've learned and grown so much from the lessons I was taught.
Being a Phi is a lifetime of pride, knowing that I can od ANYTHING I put my mind to. No matter what tragedy, difficulty, or annoyance may arise, I can get through it, beat it, and come out smelling like a rose - and a yellow one at beste!"
