Madelyn Bobo Interview

The conversation revolves around a college senior discussing her involvement in the sorority ADPi, her various roles within the organization, the skills she developed, her major in nursing, and balancing school and sorority commitments. She shares insights on joining ADPi, the positive impact it had on her college experience, and friendships formed. She also talks about her engagement and including sorority sisters in her wedding. The interviewer is a communications major writing a profile for the campus newspaper. So first of all, tell me a little bit about you. What year are you at Tech? I'm a senior, so I graduate in May. That's exciting. Yeah, I'm excited. This is my first year, but I'm a sophomore. Okay, did you train at Berkeley somewhere? I did some dual enrollment credits my senior year of high school. That's really helpful. And how long have you been a part of ADPi? Since my freshman year, so all four years of college. Sorry, I'm trying to take a couple notes. No, you're fine. Yeah, you're fine. Do you have a specific role in ADPi? So my freshman year, I've had a position every year except for this year because you don't get a position your senior year since you're graduating. So our positions go from January to December. So it's not with the school year, but rather with the calendar year. So my freshman year, I was the director of Greek Arts Philanthropy is what it was called, where I basically coordinated our chapter participating in other chapters, other Greek Arts chapters, philanthropy events, so like charity events. So I did that my freshman year, and then my next year I was our director of philanthropy, meaning I was in charge of planning our fundraising charity event for our philanthropy, which is the Ronald McDonald House Charities. So I planned our events and ran all of those. And then last year, my last position, I was the president of our chapter. That's really cool. Thanks. What do you do as the president of the chapter? Basically, a lot of it was supporting the other officers and their role. We have a group of 10 girls, which makes up our executive board, which are the biggest positions in the chapter, the ones who basically plan and run most of the things that we do. So the president's really in charge of the executive board, making sure that they have everything they need, they're doing what they need to be doing, and giving them the support and help that they need, planning their events and organizing the things that we do in the chapter. I would say it really helped develop my leadership skills, and also helping others, because I got to just kind of help manage everybody in their own role. Since I didn't have specific things to plan or organize, I kind of just got to help everybody in our chapter do their role, if that makes sense. Yeah, it does make sense. What would you say was your favorite role that you got to fill? Definitely president. It was just very rewarding, and also it did help me develop a lot of skills that I think I'll be able to carry with me into the workforce and into my real life after I graduate. I think it definitely taught me leadership, organization, teamwork, just a lot of different things like that, conflict management, problem solving. It helped me develop a lot of skills that I know I'll be able to take with me, and it was also a really fun role just to have. Yeah, that makes sense. That's cool. I also saw from your Instagram that you're a nursing major. Do you know what department of nursing you want to go into? So I'm going to work in an emergency department. That's really interesting. What drew you to that department? I work in one currently as a nursing assistant, but I really just like the fast-paced, busy, kind of unexpected environment. You don't really know what you're going to get, and it's just you're moving and you're busy all day long, which I really enjoy. Yeah, I just like it right now where I'm working currently, so that helped me to know I wanted to stay in an emergency department. That's cool. I know you're not the president anymore, but I know nursing has a lot of work to do for that and a lot of studying. How do you manage your schedule with the sorority and nursing? I think last year, junior year, is the hardest in nursing school, and I was also president at the same time, so it was a very busy year for me. But I think balancing, honestly just making sure that I was getting my schoolwork done before I was – because school is why we're all at Tennessee Tech. Yeah. So I think that just making sure that my priorities were in line, that school came first, but also ADPAL was very important to me, too. So I think just making sure that I was very organized and scheduling myself to where my school came first, I would get my schoolwork done, I would study, I would do what I need to do for that. And then ADPAL would be my fun school break. It was a lot of work, but at the same time, it was fun work, if that makes sense. Yeah. As like stressful or demanding, I guess, of school, because I know a lot of people think that they can't balance both, but you 100% can balance both as long as you just have your priorities in line. So I think just definitely putting school first and then seeing ADPAL as like your fun break from school and activities to do outside of school hours. It's kind of just how it looks at things. Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense. And what drew you to ADPAL specifically? I think just all the girls on there, going through recruitment. Everybody was just so nice, and I felt like everyone I met, like I just kind of clicked with instantly. I felt like everyone I talked to, I could see myself being friends with, and also just the standards that they held for themselves and that they expressed to us. So I think really just the girls mainly, and then also the reputation of the chapter. That's really nice. I'm trying to think what other questions I have. For people who are interested in joining ADPAL, what would your advice be? My advice would be to do it, because I never have regretted it once. Like if I started calling over again, I would never not be in a sorority and never not be in ADPAL. Just because it really has, honestly, like I've met some of my best friends through ADPAL, girls that I know that I will stay friends with after college. And it's also just a fun way to get involved on campus and with a larger group of people. I think that if I didn't have ADPAL, I would not be near as involved or have near as much to do. So I think definitely just do it if you want to do it, because it definitely makes your college experience much more fun and gives you things to do that work. Yeah, that's fair. I also saw that you got engaged. That's really exciting. Yes, I'm excited. I'm guessing, are you excited to include your sorority sisters in the process and having fun with them during your upcoming events and stuff? Yeah, like I said, I've met a lot of great friends in ADPAL, so there's definitely quite a few girls from ADPAL who are going to be at my wedding. Because I truly have met some of my best friends through this sorority that I don't know if I would have met otherwise, honestly. So, yeah, it's very exciting to know that they'll be there. Yeah, yeah, that makes sense. I'm trying to think what else I have. Did you always know you wanted to be a nursing major, or was that a decision you made closer to becoming a college student? I think I knew for a while. I knew definitely at least in high school, because I took all the medical classes and got my CNA license and all that kind of stuff in high school. So, I definitely knew by freshman year of high school, I'd say, that I wanted to be a nursing major. I don't know about before that. I can't really remember, honestly, if I knew before that or not. But I know that freshman year in high school and on, I knew I wanted to. Yeah. Okay, well, I think that's all my questions. Thank you so much again for talking to me. Yeah, of course. If you could send me a photo of yourself for, like, the article, that would be awesome. I don't know if it will be published. It's up to the publishers, editors, or whatever at the Oracle. But thanks again so much. You're welcome. What is this for? Just curious. You're all good. I am a communications major at Tech, and we're assigned to do profiles on people related to our beat. I'm, like, working the Greek life beat, so that subject matter and stuff. So, then, like, whatever gets, like, turned in gets sent to the Oracle, and they look at it and decide what stuff they want to publish. I have yet to have anything of my own published, because they have more experienced writers on the staff. But, yeah, there's a chance. Okay. Okay, well, I was just curious. Well... So, yeah, thank you so much again. Oh, you're welcome.