Notable Alumna Sonali Prabhu Tells All
1. How has Greek Life/ college affected your everyday life now and how was the transition? My chapter instilled confidence in me. Being surrounded by women that were so open minded and encouraging, allowed me to pursue my passions that I would normally get made fun of for. I owe a lot to my chapter because if they didn't keep cheering me on, I don't think I'd be where I am now in my career. The transition from being an active member of Kappa Delta to post-grad was tough. I didn't have my sisters around me all the time and I definitely had to make more of an effort to keep the relationships I made throughout my four years. I would definitely say that being in a sorority taught me so many people skills that I now use in my everyday life.
2. What was your favorite thing about being a part of the Panhellenic Community? My favorite thing about being part of the Panhellenic Community was having an instant bond with people I met that were also in the Pan community. You don't really understand it if you're not in a sorority, but even if you're not in the same chapter, it is such a special feeling that we are all going through similar experiences. 3. Why did you decide to run for your sorority's Vice President of Public Relations? I loved curating my own brand and my sisters knew I was really good at social media and photography so the VPPR at the time, Rachel Kane, kept encouraging me to apply for the assistant. I was hesitant because I didn't know if it would be a big commitment, but I decided to go for it and I'm so glad I did. I not only got to make my chapter shine on social media, but I also got to work on my skills and perfect them. I went on to serve for two terms and won the "Community Visibility 2017 Award" at the Kappa Delta Convention in Arizona-- it was the best feeling being recognized by nationals! This award gave me the boost to take on even more within the role and so my last two years I directed, filmed, and edited Kappa Delta's recruitment and philanthropy videos. Now I work as a social media content creator so I definitely think that this role helped me to get where I am today.
4. What made you decide to make YouTube videos about sorority recruitment and Greek life? I had been making sit down videos about beauty and fashion 2 years before going to college, but I decided to start vlogging the end of my senior year of high school. I thought of vlogs like making a home movie-- something that I could look back on and remember all of the good memories. When I got accepted into UCF, I already knew I was going to go through recruitment because I had been obsessed with the idea of being in a sorority! Out of excitement, I vlogged my whole week of sorority recruitment in 2015. The good, the bad and the ugly. Over time, I realized I had been gaining viewers from people who searched for sorority content. I did the same thing when I was going through, but I couldn't find that many updated videos. I understood that there seemed to be a need for content about Greek life, so the summer of 2016 I made a bunch of videos for PNMs to watch to get a good idea of what to expect. Over my 4 years, I would receive messages from girls telling me what chapter they got a bid from and how they found my videos helpful. This gave me all of the feels because all I wanted was for girls to find their home and have the best experience possible!
5. What do you miss the most about being an active member? I miss SO many things about it. I think just always having a friend to do things with whether it was making an Ulta trip or going on a walk to the Reflecting Pond. Even though I live with my boyfriend now, I need my sisters! Post grad can definitely get lonely especially when I was used to living with 20 something girls for 2 years, but I try to keep in touch with everyone as much as I can! 6. What piece of advice would you give to a younger member of the Greek community? This is probably the most cliche thing to say, but you get what you put into the sorority experience. Get as involved as you can-- this doesn't mean devoting all of your day, but if you have extra time in your week, volunteer for something! Do as much as you can. I really started to love my chapter even more when I became more involved!
7. What did you do in college to help you land your job after graduation? I'll be honest, the job hunt was pretty tough for me since I moved to a state I had never visited before/ didn't know anyone in. I think the best thing I did was keeping in touch with my past employers and I leaving my jobs and internships on the best note possible. My current boss told me that what really helped them decide to hire me was reading the recommendations from my references.
8. What are you up to now? Almost 1 year after graduating, I am living in Austin, TX with my boyfriend of 7 years and my dog. I actually just got my first post grad job in February of this year. You could say it definitely took longer than expected, but I'm thankful I didn't rush into anything because I couldn't have found a better role. I am working as a social media content creator for Landmark Properties which is the nation's top developer of Student Housing-- they own and manage The Station Alafaya! I work remote in Austin, but the job involves some travel to enable me to create content at the corporate headquarters and property sites. I am still making videos for my YouTube channel and have been getting to work with amazing brands like Glossier, Getaway House, Chacos, Dry Bar, Kendra Scott, etc. I am working on perfecting my photography and videography skills everyday and just made my website so that clients can find me easier. I have also been dipping my toes into wedding photography-- something I have always been terrified of! Even though it's a lot of work to have multiple jobs, I feel so lucky that they are all related to my passion.
-Sonali Prabhu