ELEVATE & INFLUENCE

SAMANTHA BRINKMAN, ΘZ, ALUMNA

Alpha Sigma Alpha’s vision is to elevate the influence of women in the world. In each issue of the Phoenix magazine, at least one member will be featured who is living out Alpha Sigma Alpha’s vision, purpose and values.

When I joined the Theta Zeta Chapter of Alpha Sigma Alpha as a junior in college, I was lost and searching for deeper purpose. I was struggling with my mental health as I realized that my values didn’t align with the type of person I wanted to be. With AΣA I found a group of like-minded people who shared the same values. As I grew in AΣA, I got involved in philanthropy and took every opportunity I could to develop myself as a leader, especially attending the Association of Fraternal Leadership & Values (AFLV) LeaderShape® Institute™ alongside a small cohort of my AΣA sisters. This experience completely altered the trajectory of my life. While in the chapter, I learned to live for others above myself while positively impacting my community. Today, I find myself on the other side of some difficult situations, but I continue to stick to those values instilled in me through AΣA and the open mindset I developed at the AFLV LeaderShape. I am now a domestic violence survivor,

and I volunteer with organizations to help others along the path to healing, including impacting policy and programming as the vice chairman of the Mental Health Advisory Council with the state of Indiana. In my career as a health and wellness coach, I focus on maintaining a growth mindset through life-long learning and giving of myself generously to those I serve. I’m passionate about breaking the cycles of generational trauma while inspiring others to love life and joyously live each day to its ultimate good – just as our creed says. I also found a way to ”In my career as “make lemonade” a health and wellness coach, I focus on out of the difficult situations I went maintaining a growth mindset through life- through by starting long learning and giving of myself generously a podcast called, to those I serve. I’m passionate about “When Life Gives You breaking the cycles of generational trauma Lemons,” where I while inspiring others to love life and joyously have real, vulnerable live each day to its ultimate good – just as conversations about our creed says. I also found a way to ’make the many “lemons” life can hand us, lemonade‘ out of the difficult situations I went from childhood through by starting a podcast called, ’When and religious Life Gives You Lemons,‘ where I have real, trauma to domestic vulnerable conversations about the many violence, grief and ’lemons‘ life can hand us." destigmatizing mental health. My hope is that those who resonate with my story know that it is never your fault if you find yourself in a similar situation that I was in – hope and healing is out there.

Elevate & Influence

ALLISON WALLER, EΦ, COLLEGIAN

Alpha Sigma Alpha’s vision is to elevate the influence of women in the world. In each issue of the Phoenix magazine, at least one member will be featured who is living out Alpha Sigma Alpha’s vision, purpose and values.

For as long as I can remember, I have always known that I was meant to pursue a career in medicine in order to serve others and touch as many lives as possible. At the age of 15, I began volunteering within various departments at Deaconess Midtown Hospital in my hometown. Here I was able to interact with patients, families and hospital staff of all backgrounds and beliefs and truly understand what it means to be a healthcare worker. After finishing high school and moving cities to start my premedical track at Indiana University, I remained a volunteer at this hospital and continued to travel home two weekends each month to volunteer at the same hospital that helped shape and inspire my career aspirations. Once starting college, I gained a volunteer position at IU Health Bloomington Hospital as well as the IU Hospice House, where I do similar work for a different community and continue to support and interact with patients, families and staff. I gained a new perspective of life after volunteering during a pandemic and quickly discovered that I value human relationships and interaction more than I had ever previously realized.

Keeping my perspectives and values in mind, I found my home within the Epsilon Phi Chapter of Alpha Sigma Alpha following my first semester of college. It meant a lot to me to connect with passionate women of various interests and backgrounds who collectively work together to form an environment of support, encouragement and inclusivity. As an ambitious individual with many goals and hopes for my future career and education, a support system full of loving individuals has aided me more than I could have ever imagined. We encourage each other to achieve both our collective and individual goals. ”Keeping my perspectives and values Alpha Sigma Alpha in mind, I found my home within the has brought me many Epsilon Phi Chapter of Alpha Sigma Alpha new friendships and following my first semester of college. It opportunities, which have meant a lot to me to connect with other led me to be currently serving as the president passionate women of various interests of our chapter. I could not and backgrounds who collectively work be more proud to lead this together to form an environment of group of strong, ambitious support, encouragement and inclusivity. women. Throughout the As an ambitious individual with many course of my term, my goals and hopes for my future career and leadership skills have education, a support system full of loving developed significantly. I have also flourished as individuals has aided me more than I could an individual, balancing have ever imagined." my presidency along with my student and volunteer responsibilities. It brings me pure joy and encouragement to collaborate with a multitude of individuals daily, and I continuously live my life serving others as both a member of Alpha Sigma Alpha and as a member of my community.