President's Farewell

With graduation just two short days away, I have found myself reflecting on my college memories quite a bit… and what I’ve found is that they are almost entirely Sweethearts related. The short of it is that Texas Sweethearts has been the most meaningful facet of my college experience, and I owe more of my happiness and success at UT to this organization than any other source.

With a student body of 60,000 students strong, being at UT can be extremely daunting. But after becoming a Sweetheart I never felt lost in the crowd. I still remember how frightened and shy I felt at recruitment—walking up to total strangers, introducing myself and hoping to God I remembered everyone’s names or didn’t say anything stupid. Well, I’m pretty sure I failed at both of those things within the first two seconds, but the more I got to know the different actives, the more I knew I was where I needed to be. Sadly enough I didn’t make it into Sweethearts the first time I applied, but now that I’m completing my final days as President of Texas Sweethearts, I can say that it was well worth the wait.

I truly believe everything happens for a reason, and falling short of making the cut the first time around only reinforced even further that this was the organization for me. Now, I’m thankful for getting into Texas Sweethearts when I did, because it led me to a Sweetie class that was a perfect fit for me. It was the class of Spring 2009 in which I met some of my best friends in the whole world. As a sweetie, I was thrown into a whirlwind semester – jam-packed with service projects, tailgates and social events galore. It certainly had its overwhelming and stressful moments, but I am so proud to be a part of the legendary class of Spring 2009!

If this letter does anything, I hope it shows any prospective members what an exceptional organization Texas Sweethearts truly is, because being a Sweetheart has also led me to a whole host of successes in my life. I came out of my shell and grew into myself as a person. I met some of the most diverse and outgoing girls I have ever met. I gained leadership experience and the courage to try new things, which allowed me to take the leap to eventually study abroad in Argentina. It has allowed me to discover and bolster my passion for service work. It has given weekends of crazy, fun times after weeks of exam and homework hell. But most of all, it has given me my future bridesmaids and a place to call home even after I’m long-gone and graduated.

Texas Sweethearts may not be for you, and that’s ok because there are hundreds of amazing organizations of all shapes and sizes here at UT. But if it is, I can promise you that being a part of this organization will change your life. You will meet some of the most diverse, kindhearted, and fun-loving women you will ever know, and each and every one of them will touch your heart in a way that you will probably never see again in your lifetime. I know this because that is exactly what Sweethearts did for me.

I will miss Sweethearts more than words can ever express, but I look forward to what the future generations of Sweethearts have to bring!

Much love to you all,

Laura Ceglio

Texas Sweethearts President Spring 2011