EMPRESS

About me: School is my boyfriend, other than my actual boyfriend. I spend my free time playing online games and hoarding makeup with cute packaging that I don't need. Becoming a dentist is my calling, as it is the perfect combination of science and art (a dental student once told me that he was like Da Vinci...it takes some serious artistic skill to shape the perfect filling!).

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Why EMPRESS? Honestly, I don't have a deep and thoughtful reason as to why I went to the first recruitment event. I've always been the typical INFJ, and I was content with the small circle I had. I attended the first GIM without any expectations, but BOY, I was blown away. I've never met a group of ladies that were so captivating and welcoming. As someone who isn't very social, I was surprised at how effortlessly the conversations flowed with all of the girls. I was in awe of their genuineness, open-mindedness, and most importantly, warmth. Seeing the members of EMPRESS at every recruitment event after that further confirmed their strengths, as well as my desire to become a part of them. I never really understood what it felt like to have found your niche, until I met the girls of EMPRESS. I was inspired to join because of their bond, and the experiences that they shared through their testimonials were eye-opening.

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Favorite EMPRESS memory: EMPRESS has helped me define my identity and gain confidence. I believe that one of the most crucial parts of identity is an individual's comfort zone and boundaries, both of which are pretty rigid for me. My favorite memory with EMPRESS was during the Fall 2017 sisterhood retreat at Lake Wauberg, where I found comfort in my EMPRESS family. I've never been a fan of nature, so needless to say, anything related to nature is pretty much out of my comfort zone. During kayaking, a few of the girls and I had trouble finding the courage to go kayaking with everyone else. After several attempts to justify what could've been the biggest/scariest mistake of our lives, we got on board. The experience was on par with my expectations — SCARY. As soon as we got onto the water, we crashed into the dock...where we were then swarmed with a cloud of bugs. It's a good thing we eventually adapted and only had ten encounters with nearly falling off of our kayak :-) Although kayaking was most definitely out of my comfort zone, I ended up having a lot of fun (in the midst of fear). Looking back, I'm certain that I would've regretted not kayaking with everyone. Their courage and support allowed me to have fun and not miss an opportunity I might otherwise have never taken. I don't think I would've been able to leave my comfort zone without them.