Kristin O'Planick
| Kristin O'Planick | |
 | |
| Name | Kristin O'Planick |
| Chapter | Alpha Beta University of Maryland |
| Date Inducted | Spring 1997 |
| Roll Number | AB 293 |
| Alumni Chapter/Assoc | |
| Honorary Member | |
| Major | Art/Art History |
| Birthdate | July 27th |
| Spouse | |
| Nicknames | |
| Awards | CSK (AB) |
Kristin O'Planick (born 27 July) is an Alumni Member of Alpha Beta Chapter (AB 293) at the University of Maryland.
Contents
Early Fraternity Life and Career
Kristin decided to attend University of Maryland for no particular reason, but it ended up being one of the best decisions of her life. During her first semester she spent time with a high school friend, Benjamin Valenti, who was also at UM. He took her to some parties and introduced her to the fraternity he joined that semester - Phi Sigma Pi. The following semester Ben told Kristin that she "had to rush". At the meet night, Kristin knew that AB was something that she wanted to be a part of. In Spring 97, as part of the Tau class (slogan - Absolute Tau Y'all), Kristin joined the Alpha Beta Chapter of Phi Sigma Pi. And that was just the beginning!
Collegiate Years at Alpha Beta Chapter
During her undergraduate career, Phi Sigma Pi became a priority for Kristin. She became close friends with many of the local Brothers and also built strong relationships at other chapters. In her junior and senior years she was lucky enough to even live in a house with all Brothers, where they greatly strenghtened the fellowship leg of the chapter.
Kristin held the following positions at AB:
- social co-chair
- general secretary
- president
- alumni chair
Kristin's pledge class was part of a major shift in the initiation program at AB. After her initiation, she remained a part of the initiation committee until she graduated, in order to continue building and maintain the strength of this program.
Kristin also participated in the AB flag football and volleyball intramural teams. The volleyball was great practice for the AB annual volleyball tournament that draws Brothers from chapters all over the country.
Overall Kristin tried to motivate and inspire her Brothers to make AB as great as it could be. The chapter at the time had so many Brothers passionate about Phi Sigma Pi and they were able to accomplish so much together. AB recognized Kristin for her contributions with a Chapter Service Key.
Alumni Years to Present
During her first couple years as an alum, Kristin was living in West Africa as a Peace Corps Volunteer and was rather disconnected. During this time, however, her Brothers stayed in touch by writing her letters and keeping their friendships strong.
When Kristin came back, she immediately started participating in AB events. When AB decided to create an Alumni Advisor position, Kristin was one of the first to serve in this capacity. She has continued to do so off and on as the chapter wishes. In the "off" periods, she still maintains an active informal advisory role.
Many of the relationships that started as an undergrad are still strong. Kristin has been to many weddings of her Brothers and has played with the children of quite a few too! We really are Brothers for life and Kristin feels this every day.
National Involvement
Kristin is currently a member of the National Development Committee. She also has served on the National Alumni Development Committee (98-00) and the National Membership Development Committee (04-07).
She represented Alpha Beta at Grand Chapter in '99 and '00, attended Grand Chapter as a peanut a couple times since, and has lost count of the conventions that she has attended.
During her undergrad years, Kristin was an avid road-tripper. For example, she never missed a Tau Chapter Founder's Day, made it to two Gamma Theta Mardi Gras celebrations, and has even done some road tripping in her alumni years.
Bigs and Littles
Kristin's Big Brother is Alison (Ali) Berman, Alumna.
Kristin has 3 Little Brothers:
- Stephanie Smith, Expelled
- Jamila Johnson, Expelled
- Kimberly Chwan, Alumna
Further Resources
Other Interesting Facts
Currently Kristin is living in Cairo, Egypt, where she is the Operations Manager for a $12 million USAID-funded project which is working to encourage sustainable and culturally appropriate tourism practices in the southern Red Sea.
