President's Farewell

How daunting it is to attend a university that compels you to “change the world.” The steps we take on campus today are on a 130 year old foundation established before us by distinguished alumni, like Lady Bird Johnson, Tom C. Clark, and Michael Dell. Needless to say, it is only natural to render ourselves insignificant in comparison to such prestige. W. Clement Stone once said, “Be careful the environment you choose for it will shape you; be careful the friends you choose for you will become like them.” For an environment that will dare me to have overachieving goals, I chose the University of Texas at Austin. For friends that will assist me in attaining these goals, I chose Texas Sweethearts.

It has been my greatest honor and privilege to serve as President of Texas Sweethearts for the spring semester of 2014. Since the time I joined this organization two years ago, we have raised over $20,000 for non-profit organizations, contributed a down payment to build a school in a third world country, conducted over 1,000 random acts of kindness throughout the Austin community, been voted as the Best Student Organization by the Daily Texan and the Longhorn Center for Civic Engagement, expanded our organization to two other Texas universities, and accomplished many other feats unattainable by a single individual. From this organization, I have witnessed the power in numbers, the power in sisterhood, and the power in determination. To all the strong, beautiful, and intelligent women of this organization and our newest alumnae – Know that we can indeed change the world, because not only are we Texas, we are also Texas Sweethearts.

Thank you for an unforgettable semester and for giving me the opportunity to serve an organization that has forever changed my life.

Sweetheart Love,

An-Vi Nguyen

Spring 2014 President

President's Welcome

Hello, Everyone!

My name is An-Vi Nguyen, and it is an honor to introduce myself as the Spring 2014 President of Texas Sweethearts. I cannot even express to you all my excitement for this semester and the great things that are in store for us. Backed by an incredible officer board and a thriving active body, the Texas Sweethearts are looking forward to continuing our service to the community, supporting University of Texas athletics, and opening our arms to welcome new members to our blossoming sisterhood.

They said, “Don’t go to UT, because you’ll just be another number in their system.” Before attending the University of Texas at Austin, I came from a smaller city just north of the area and attended a 4A high school. I was a cheerleader, a mentor, and an officer or member of as many organizations I could get my hands on. My principal and teachers actually knew my name, and the students that walked the hallways of my school were all at least familiar faces. I was convinced that I could thrive in any environment I put myself in, but nothing prepared me for feeling so lost and nameless in an incredibly large and competitive public university. So then they said, “Join organizations, because it will make campus seem smaller.” And so I did. I attended virtually every student organization fair and attended the first few meetings of every flyer that was shoved in my hands at Gregory Plaza. Although I found great intentions in all of the organizations I looked into, it was not until I started attending Texas Sweetheart smokers that I suddenly found what I was looking for. The actives that I met throughout the recruitment process were so genuine and down to earth that I knew they were the type of people I wanted to be around throughout my college career. As they say, “You are who you surround yourself with.”  The friends that I have made through Sweethearts have accompanied me through countless all-nighters in the PCL, driven hundreds of miles to see me on my birthday, gorged pizza with me while watching the Bachelor, and traveled to Costa Rica to do volunteer work by my side. I am forever grateful for all the Sweethearts I am blessed to call my friends and the unforgettable memories that I have shared with them all. They said that I would “meet [my] lifelong friends in college,” but they never told me that I would meet the sisters I never had.

To all prospective members, nothing would make me happier than to share my love for this organization with you all. Joining Texas Sweethearts was easily the best decision I made in my college career, and I encourage you to take the same leap of faith I took my freshman year and join us for one of our recruitment events. Our recruitment is truly a mutual selection process. As much as we want to get to know you, we also want you to be able to feel comfortable and assured that Texas Sweethearts is the perfect organization for you.

On behalf of the ladies of Texas Sweethearts, I would like to officially welcome you all to the start of our Spring 2014 Recruitment. For more information, please request to join our Facebook group. We are so excited to meet you all!

Sweetheart Love,

An-Vi Nguyen

Spring 2014 President

Volunteering in Costa Rica

As soon as we heard the wheels of our plane scuff the uneven runway of the Juan Santamaria International Airport of San Jose, Costa Rica, we looked at each other and thought, "What in the world did we just get ourselves into...?" There we were, two 20 year old girls from Texas, blindly entering a foreign country with a pamphlet and a few instructional e-mails as our only form of guidance. Suddenly, the only familiar thing we had was each other.

In the midst of studying for finals, interviewing for jobs, and preparing for recruitment as the President and Recruitment Chair of Texas Sweethearts, we decided to quit our crazy lives for a week and a half to do volunteer work in Costa Rica during this winter break. During our time abroad, we had the opportunity to work with several orphanages and elderly care facilities, as well as hike mountains, zip line through the jungle, carbo-load on beans and rice, and navigate the city with our pathetic Spanish knowledge from high school. From Canadians and Australians to Chinese and Nepalis, we met people from all around the world and became known as "Chinita and Gringita," the "Cowgirls," "Texas," and "the-girls-that-say-'y'all'-after-every-other-word." Sooner or later, these strangers became our friends, and we finally became known as "An-Vi and Kristi." What started off as an intimidating trip with just two friends, eventually became an experience of a lifetime shared with new friends across the globe.

Throughout our trip, a common question we received was, "What are Texas Sweethearts?" Considering the fact that half of our closets consist of Texas Sweethearts merchandise, a few T-shirts from our past recruitments naturally landed in our suitcases for Costa Rica and instigated this frequent question. Having to describe what Texas Sweethearts is to strangers eventually put into perspective what Texas Sweethearts means to us. Not only did Texas Sweethearts give us our only friend to start this trip with, it also gave us the confidence and courage to step out of our comfort zones to make new friends in a foreign country. In retrospect, we are both so grateful to have gone through the Texas Sweethearts recruitment process, because it gave us the opportunity to meet new people from all walks of life and truly appreciate where they come from. Applying this experience to our trip, we walked away from Costa Rica with a family of new friends and an understanding of new cultures.

On our last night in Costa Rica, we stayed in a hostel near the airport in San Jose. As we walked down the hall wearing more Texas Sweethearts shirts, we passed a tall guy outside of his room and heard him say, "Texas Sweethearts...?" "Here we go again..." we both thought. As we prepared to start our usual speech to explain what Texas Sweethearts is, he stopped us and said, "No, I know what the Texas Sweethearts are. I was a Blazer when I went to UT!" We were baffled. Meeting this Blazer in a completely different country made us feel so fortunate to be Sweethearts, to come from Texas, and to attend the greatest university in the nation.

So in addition to being the "Chinita and Gringita," the "Cowgirls," "Texas," and "the-girls-that-say-'y'all'-after-every-other-word," we are also best friends and proud Texas Sweethearts. We hope you all will consider joining our sisterhood and making memories like these with us. We look forward to meeting you all!

Pura Vida,

An-Vi and Kristi
President and Recruitment Chair
Texas Sweethearts Spring 2014