When I applied for the Eve Woods Riley Scholarship through Tri Delta, I really didn't know much about UIFI at all. No one I know has ever gone before and it's not really talked about much at LMU. I was really excited when I heard from Natalie that I was a recipient of the scholarship, and then proceeded to look even further into UIFI and exactly what I was about to take part in. Our Greek Life advisor was once a facilitator at UIFI and a on-campus advisor, a fellow Tri Delta, continually expressed what a life-changing experience UIFI was. Little did I know how right they were.
UIFI was completely life-changing, eye-opening, and like nothing I ever expected. I met some of the greatest and most inspiring people and was challenged to think in ways I never had before. UIFI made a community out of about 80 college students, all part of different organizations. UIFI stressed living our Values and Ritual, which is now clear, that many of our chapters have lost sight of this Purpose. I am lucky to be able to say that Epsilon Zeta at LMU is a lot better off than many chapters I heard about, but we are no where near the best or done growing and developing. As I had addressed in my UIFI application, our LMU Greek Community is not quite the community we lead on. My experiences at UIFI, through the education and the people I met, have taught ways to start the necessary conversations and make the appropriate steps forward.
Lexi Foster, Loyola Marymount University
2012 Eve Woods Riley Scholarship Recipient
