Hi everyone!

My name is Jerianne and I pledged Spring 2015 TT pledge class. I graduated from Cal in Spring 2018 semester with a degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology. Right now, I’m an associate scientist at a biotech company in Richmond. Throughout my college experience, APO played a huge role in helping me grow as a leader, making close friends while giving back to the community.

For me, APO helped shape my leadership skills by providing me endless opportunities to play an active role in the chapter. Because there are so many different positions in the chapter, many different forms of a leader can be made. There isn’t one ideal type of leader in the chapter and APO does an excellent job of highlighting that.

Not only has APO helped me build my leadership skills, I also made my best friends in the chapter. In fact, all of my friends that I speak to now from Cal, are actually still APO/used to be in APO! You meet so many new people and you spend so much time with these individuals that close bonds are formed. APO truly helped me find my forever college friends while allowing me to expand my social circle beyond people in class or whom I met in the dorms.

Everybody wonders: how will APO actually pertain to my life after college? The leadership skills I made in APO allowed me to take more of an active role in my job. In a lab setting, it’s hard to exemplify any leadership qualities, but APO really helped my organization skills. Being in charge of an event or a branch of the club can be very demanding but it prepares you for the real world and your career once it begins. The basic development of your skills in APO can apply to any position you find in the future.