Building an education for girls in Senegal
By Megan Sexton, msexton@mailbox.sc.edu, 803-777-1421
Riley Shipman, the president of USC’s Sorority Council, will be heading to Senegal this month to help build a school for young girls in the African country. Shipman is one of 13 women chosen to take part in the trip, sponsored by Circle of Sisterhood, a non-profit that works with sororities around the country to raise money for girls’ education.
Shipman, a rising senior from Boca Raton, Fla., majoring in marketing and management, leaves July 16 for the week-long trip. We caught up with her to learn about her expectations for the trip and her involvement in Sorority Council, the governing body of all 17 sororities at Carolina.
Why is it important for you to be involved with Sorority Council?
Riley Shipman: For me, it is important to be involved with Sorority Council because I am so passionate about Greek life and believe in all of the good that sorority women and fraternity men can do. Our sorority community at Carolina has made amazing strides over the years and has even been recognized for accomplishments in areas such as scholarship, risk management and leadership development. I think it is important to make sure that our community is continuously improving and I hope I can use my involvement with Sorority Council to help us grow even more in the areas of campus involvement, philanthropy, and community service.
What does this trip mean for you personally?
Shipman: This trip is an absolute blessing for me. I fully believe in the importance of empowering girls through education and I can't believe that I get to help build a school in Senegal that will consistently have girls as 50 percent of its students. I am looking forward to seeing firsthand the impact that sorority women are making in this world and I am so proud that the sorority community at Carolina has helped to make such a difference.
It's also an amazing opportunity to be able to spend a week with a host family in Africa and learn about the Senegalese culture. I know this trip will be absolutely life-changing, and I'm still in shock that I get to be a part of it.
What does having a representative on this trip mean for USC?
Shipman: USC was lucky enough to have been chosen as one of the 13 campuses represented on the Circle of Sisterhood trek from a pool of schools that have raised at least $1,000 for the foundation. I think that having a representative on this trip will allow students, faculty and staff at USC to see how sorority women are not only doing great things on campus and in the community, but also throughout the world. I believe that this trip will also help raise awareness on campus about Circle of Sisterhood and strengthen USC's relationship with the foundation.
How has being involved in Greek Life at Carolina affected you?
Shipman: Being involved in Greek Life at Carolina has affected my life in ways I never could have imagined. Because I joined a sorority, I have grown so much as a person. I have become a stronger leader, a better friend and more passionate about service. I have built relationships that I know will last me a lifetime and have been given so many incredible opportunities through being Greek at the University of South Carolina. I didn't come to USC thinking that I would ever be so involved with Greek life, but now I can't imagine my college experience any other way.
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