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No Longer a Baby Belle

    I will always remember the night that I was accepted into Belles. I was with friends at cafe 1919 eating gelato (what a throwback) when my phone started blowing up with instagram requests from current belles. Right from the start, this made me feel so welcome. When I came home to my dorm a few hours later, I was so excited to see a cutout belle on my door with my name on it. That weekend, I met the board at the board/baby belle brunch and then the rest of the belles at fall retreat. Since that day, I have been honored to have so many amazing women in my life to look up to, learn from, and be inspired by. Whether it was my six fellow freshman baby belles, the wonderful women on executive board, or most recently my alumni mentor, I have gained so much from being in the presence of belles. 


    Watching senior spotlight presentations this year at general meeting, I was struck by A) how incredibly diverse in interests, passions, and experiences belles are and B) how much I learned about some belles that I hadn’t known before! I can guarantee you that each and every belle is worth getting to know, listening to and learning from. It is this wealth of different experiences and knowledge that makes belles such an amazing resource in which to be involved. From class recommendations to professional advice to good old-fashioned commiseration during midterms and finals, belles have always been there to lend a hand. 

    This year, as I aided in recruitment tasks with the rest of the DBs, I was struck by the fact that I was no longer a baby belle. When I was first applying to belles, I couldn’t have imagined that I would soon be on the other side of the process, welcoming prospective baby belles into their interviews and speaking to them at open house. Everything that I’ve learned from belles has helped me grow as a helper and leader, and I have loved watching my fellow 2019 baby belles grow and change as well. 

Tess Kara 
Public Relations Distinguished Belle 

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