Mia Smutny, Rising Sophomore

"Here are a few things I try to remember as a college student - and now as a Theta - that I’d like to share:
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1. 'Life is not a dress rehearsal.' Take (calculated) risks. Be smart, and take risks that challenge you as a person and allow you to grow. Life is about learning and experiencing, and we only have one shot at it. Be adventurous in the experiences you choose to have.

2. 'If at first you don’t succeed, you’re in good company.' FDR, Walt Disney, Oprah Winfrey, Jay Z, and many, many others (probably including our parents) failed at first. A lot of people don’t get it right the first time. That’s not the point, though. The point is to get it right (whatever “it” is for you), whether that’s the 1st time, the 3rd time, the 88th time, or the 10,000th time (shoutout to Thomas Edison who described his many attempts to perfect the lightbulb not as failures but as having “found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”) Have self-confidence, and don’t let failure prevent you from trying again.

3. 'It’s a bad day, not a bad life.' I love that quote. I love it because I think sometimes it can be really hard to see the forest through the trees. I think it’s good to remember when you’re feeling down, or when you’re missing someone, or when you feel like you have so much work to do that you’ll die before you finish it all. I think it’s always important to remember that things will get better, and almost everything works out okay. In the big scheme of things, we, as Thetas & as college students in the U.S., are all incredibly fortunate. Remember that as often as you can." - Mia Smutny, Rising Sophomore