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Spring 2008
Spring 2007
Spring 2006
Spring 2005
Spring 2003
Spring 2002


Spring 2008


Hello, and welcome to the website of the Theta chapter of Alpha Omega Epsilon! We are the only engineering sorority at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as well as the campus' only social and professional sorority. Our Ideals and Objectives state that we promote friendship, leadership, and professionalism in all that we do, but what we embody is so much more than those three words.

I attended a few AWE recruitment events at the beginning of the fall semester of my freshman year, and almost immediately I knew that this was where I belonged. The girls were very welcoming and truly took an interest in who I am. It was very comforting to find a group of girls who shared many of my same interests and classes at such a big university in a curriculum where girls are a rarity. I know that in being a sister of AWE, I am never alone. There will always be someone to laugh with, cry with, study with, go shopping with, go out to eat with, give me advice, study with... and the list goes on. Needless to say, for the past two and a half years AWE has been a huge part of my life. I consider each of our sisters my family, and our office my home away from home.

As mentioned before, we are both social and professional, meaning we hold events to help our professional development as well as others that allow us to relax and have fun. It is truly the best of both worlds! Some of our past professional events include informational nights with companies such as Motorola, Hewlett-Packard, and Lyondell, lunches with university professors, business etiquette dinners, a professional dress and make-up workshop, and a panel of career women to discuss balancing work and family life. Past social events with fraternities include barn dances, Homecoming float building, game and trivia nights, murder mystery dinners, pumpkin carving, scavenger hunts, dinner and salsa or swing dancing, dodgeball games, watching basketball or football games, ice cream socials, and bowling. Of course, our annual Founder's Day Formal in late February/early March is our largest and most highly anticipated social event of the year!

Another, and perhaps the most important, aspect of AWE is our sisterhood. We go out to dinner together at local restaurants or hold our own potlucks, visit Curtis Orchards for pumpkin and apple picking, stick together in corn mazes in the fall, participate in various philanthropic events, go shopping, watch movies, and ice skate together among other activities. We are also known to study in groups together around campus.

With so much going on, the beauty of AWE is that it provides many opportunities for growth in different areas. Whether you are looking for professional development, new friendships, a blossoming social life, service opportunities, or someone to study with, AWE offers it all and so much more. That being said, I am very excited and more than proud to be a member and president of such a wonderful organization. I just hope that I can give back to my sisters all that they have given me. Thanks girls!



In FLP,

Stephanie A. Pasquesi (Pi, Fall 2005)
Alpha Omega Epsilon, Theta Chapter President
spasque2@uiuc.edu or theta@alphaomegaepsilon.org



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Spring 2007


Welcome to the website for the Theta chapter of Alpha Omega Epsilon! We are the University of Illinois only engineering sorority as well as the only professional and social sorority on campus. As you can see in our Ideals and Objectives we promote friendship, leadership and professionalism in all that we do. Since our founding on campus in 1999, we have grown from 12 to 54 strong active engineering women. As mentioned before, we are both professional and social- meaning that we have events that develop the professional career aspect as well as events that just let us have fun and relax. In the past, our professional events have included: lunches with professors, a business etiquette dinner, professional dress and make up workshop, resume building from the Career Services, a panel of career women on how to balance work and family life, and so much more. Social events have included ice cream socials, Homecoming float building, ice skating, karaoke, pumpkin carving, and much more with various fraternities.

In addition to professional and social events, we have a strong sense of sisterhood. We have weekly dinners together, trips to Curtis Orchards for pumpkin and apple picking, trips to the movies, and are often seen together working on homework or studying for an exam. With so much going on (there is a lot more than what I have just mentioned), I am proud and excited to be President of this bustling organization. As president, a few of my goals and aspirations for the coming year are to increase alumni relations, strengthen our scholarship program, and gain both campus and national recognition. Whatever you are looking for- professional development, a growing social life, new friendships, service opportunities, or someone to do homework with- Alpha Omega Epsilon offers it all. I am proud to be apart of this organization and look forward to giving back as much as I have received.



In FLP,

Tracy Saillard (Xi, Fall '04)
Theta Chapter President tsailla2@uiuc.edu or theta@aoesorority.org



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Spring 2006


Hello! Welcome to the website for the Theta chapter of Alpha Omega Epsilon! Not only are we University of Illinois only engineering sorority, but we are also the only professional and social sorority on campus. As you can see in our Ideals and Objectives we promote dedicated friendship, leadership and professionalism in all we do, but we’re also more than that; we’re a family.

Growing up an only child I always felt as though something was missing in my life. This was acutely felt during my first semester at college when I was all alone, trying to find a place in an enormous crowd. Then one day I got a pamphlet in my mailbox telling me about ΑΩΕ. As I read the pamphlet I found there was a rush event that night, and seeing as I had nothing else to do (and there would be free Moonstruck coffee) I decided to go. Before this I had always been skeptical about sororities. In fact many of my friends from home were shocked when I said I had joined one, but the sisters of ΑΩΕ were different. As soon as I walked in the doors of engineering hall they greeted me with open arms and made me feel right at home. I had never met a group of more intelligent, motivated, or caring girls in all my life. I made my decision to join ΑΩΕ right then and there, and now regard that decision to be the best decision of my life.

I am no longer alone. I have 56 sisters that I would do anything for and I know they would do anything for me. I can always count on any of them when I want someone to study with, someone to laugh with, to get some advice, a shoulder to cry on, to get something to eat, to borrow clothes, or just to go have some fun! Many people regard sororities to be a forced friendship or a façade. After being in ΑΩΕ for two years now I can truthfully say this is not the case here. The sisterhood embodied in ΑΩΕ is the most genuine and inexplicably strong bond I have ever experienced outside of a blood relationship. No matter what happens in my life, knowing that I have my ΑΩΕ sisters behind me gives me the strength and encouragement to go that extra mile and reach beyond limits to achieve my goals.

Last semester the sisters of ΑΩΕ promoted our friendship, leadership and professionalism by hosting a philanthropic poker tournament, dinner and bowling for Dad’s Day at GT’s Western Bowl in Champaign, as well as had lunches with various U of I professors on campus. Together the sisters picked pumpkins at Curtis Apple Orchards, had a pumpkin carving contest with Sigma Tau Gamma Fraternity, took second place with Sigma Phi Delta Engineering Fraternity on our Homecoming float, went to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on opening night, and much, much more! Every fall semester we co-host a barn dance, which was done last semester with Sigma Phi Delta Engineering Fraternity, Triangle Fraternity, and the Society of Women Engineers. During the spring semester we host our Annual Founders’ Day Formal, which will be at Biaggi’s Ristorante in Champaign this year. This coming year we are looking forward to continuing our professionalism through etiquette dinners, negotiating workshops, and more professor lunches, strengthening our bonds of sisterhood with weekly dinners, as well as expanding our philanthropy and service work to benefit the community.

Through this next semester we can hopefully enhance the meaning of “ΑΩΕ” in our community to embody our friendship, devotion, motivation, caring, and commitment that is shown by every one of our members. I am proud to be a part of ΑΩΕ. I am even more honored to call myself the president of an organization that represents so many genuine, bright, gifted and fun loving girls. I just hope I have the opportunity to give back to my sisters what they have given to me.

With much love to all my sisters,

In FLP,

Marianne E. Marshall (Nu class, Spring ’04)
Theta Chapter President
memarsha@uiuc.edu or theta@aoesorority.org



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Spring 2005


Hi! I’m thrilled you happened upon the website for the Theta chapter of Alpha Omega Epsilon—you just found the best part of my life. On paper, we are already the university’s only engineering sorority, dedicated to friendship, leadership and professionalism; but as a sisterhood we embody so much more.

Like many freshman girls at UIUC, I had heard of sororities, but, to be honest, I was a bit skeptical. But I signed up for formal rush anyway—then I met three girls from AOE at E-night. They seemed devoted to their group and interested in me as a person, so, since the two events inconveniently conflicted that year, I decided to drop formal rush and go to their BBQ. (I actually had online homework due in ECE 110 that night and figured that someone in this engineering sorority would have a clue.) Two of the current members immediately sat down at the computer with me for a half hour and explained the concepts to me. These girls cared about me before they even knew my name!

Since then, I have gone from no sisters to 56. I know there’s someone I can call when I’m laughing, when I’m crying, when I need a karaoke partner, when I have an exam to study for, when I am looking for fun, when I need advice, when I want company for dinner…. The list goes on without end. While many people see the concept of a sorority as bogus or forced friendship, I find sisterhood to be inexplicable beyond my meager attempt here. Being in AOE has meant never feeling alone. It’s encouraged me to stretch myself beyond the limits I thought I had.

AOE is founded on valuable traditions, but that doesn’t mean we’ve ever refused a new idea. Last semester we hosted our first philanthropic poker tournament and dinner for our fathers and families on Dad’s weekend. Combined with Triangle Fraternity, we took a close second place for a Homecoming float. Each fall we host a barn dance and, in the spring, our Annual Founders’ Day Formal. Together, we visited Curtis Apple Orchard, enjoyed a BBQ at our sponsor’s home (Thank you, Marsha!), dined out, and learned the intricacies of professional wear and quality resumes. We ate desserts with Sigma Tau Gamma, learned to swing dance with Triangle and went bowling with Sigma Phi Delta.

“AOE” only holds meaning in its members’ loyalty, devotion, motivation, friendships and genuine caring. I’ll be the first to say I am proud to wear our letters. I can only pleasantly dream of what our future may hold. I ran for president because I wanted to be able to give back to the girls who have given me the best of my life.

To my sisters: Thank you.

In FLP,

Marie Mayer (Mu, Fall ‘03)
Theta Chapter President
mamayer@uiuc.edu or theta@aoesorority.org

       –Don’t hesitate to e-mail me—this is what I love!



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Spring 2003


HELLO!!! Greetings from the Theta Chapter of Alpha Omega Epsilon at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign! Thanks to a great, I mean, AMAZING panel of officers and active members, our sorority was led to accomplish awesome, I mean, OUTSTANDING contributions to our community this spring 2003 semester.

Our semester began with the welcome acceptance of five new candidates into our Chapter of twenty-eight strong spirited women. Next was a two-hour road trip to Northern Illinois University, where we were able to meet the founders of a new colony and welcome them into an international organization comprised of fellow engineering sisters. We made it home in time to visit our friends at the local nursing home and hand deliver the Valentine’s Day cards that we made them at one of our Rush events. Throughout the semester, we had lunch with friendly representatives from prominent companies (i.e. Hormel Foods, ALCOA, Accenture, and IBM), and hosted Guidant’s informational session on Prevention and Detection of Heart Disease in Women. So, to all of you reading this, exercise, eat right, and go to your doctor for your regular check-up!

You must be wondering if we ever got the chance to let our hair down and take a break. Well, we did – at the Karaoke Night we hosted for Engineer’s Week! Not to mention, how much fun we had helping the girls at Home Hi middle school with their robotics project, tutoring them in math, and judging 2nd and 3rd graders at the Dr. Howard science fair. At our Founder’s Day Formal, the girls from the Alpha Chapter came down to help us celebrate and dance the night away. Triangle Fraternity let us relax a little when they serenaded us, took us bowling, cooked us dinner and taught us some ballroom dancing. Finally, the boys from Sigma Phi Delta sang us lullabies and enjoyed a water balloon fight.

This semester was also a semester of many “firsts”. Our robot team was the first ever All Female Robot Team to enter the Jerry Sanders Robot Competition for Engineering Open House. In addition, we had received Engineering Council’s Society of the Month award. We held a campus-wide Talent Show. Engineering 101: Empowering Women program was our collaboration as an informational orientation for incoming freshman females into the College of Engineering and technically related sciences. On top of our yearly philanthropy basketball tournament, we participated in a Date Auction, which benefited the American Cancer Society and SARS Relief Fund. After watching the premiere of the movie “Triad” (co-produced by one of our sisters), this was also the first time for many of us to try the new drink craze “bubble tea”. Last but not least, it was the first time we had a barbecue hosted by our generous faculty advisor, Marsha Woodbury.

I hope the Theta Chapter continues the many wonderful traditions we have started this semester. I am extremely proud of what we have achieved as a team of brilliant, well rounded, socially conscious, professionally focused, community oriented and supportive group of sisters. We give substance to the words friendship, leadership, and professionalism.

I want to thank each and every one of you for the positive experience I have had this semester, and I look forward to serving you in the fall.

In FLP,
Andrea Yu (Theta Class ’04)
2003 Theta Chapter President
theta@aoesorority.org or andreayu@uiuc.edu



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Spring 2002



Greetings from UIUC – University of Illinois Under Construction! It has been one crazy semester, especially with them tearing up our beautiful campus! But we still survive in our office in Engineering Hall, as we tune out the sounds of jackhammers and dump trucks, and the obnoxious music from our officemates (needless to say we need our own space—a house—soon!).

My first semester as president has been a wonderful experience, and words don’t even begin to describe how surprised I am that half of my term has already flown by. So many great things happened this semester—where to start! All I know is that I had an awesome panel of officers that all did a wonderful job sticking to their responsibilities. My job as president was so much easier because of this, but it still wasn’t a piece of cake. We had a few small speed bumps along the way, but all in all the semester was a great success!

Currently, we are still working on the search for a faculty advisor for our chapter, and we recently concluded our search for a local alumnae advisor. We settled on recent alum and chapter founder, Sarah (Elder) Schweizer who is residing nearby in Peoria. Thanks to Theta alum and founder Amy Devine out in Boston for all her hard work she has done this past year working with us across the miles!

From formal to fundraising, from chapter meetings to exchanges, and from rush events to initiations, everything this semester was a challenge that everyone successfully met together. Now that we have initiated our Iota class, we are very excited to now be 27 members strong—the largest we’ve ever been (an increase in 338% since our 8 founders just 3 years ago)! I’m also confident that our chapter improved in every aspect of the ideals and objectives of Alpha Omega Epsilon this semester, and we will continue to strive to do so in the fall!

In FLP,
Melissa Davis (Zeta ’02)
2002 Theta Chapter President
theta@aoesorority.org or davis10@uiuc.edu



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