Leadership award candidate reflects on college journey

BY: MICHAELA DENNIS / Executive Director

Caliee Coulson is a junior at Tarleton State University who is taking the initiative to apply for the Leadership and Service Awards.

Coulson is academically classified as a junior at Tarleton despite officially beginning her college journey in fall 2023. As an incoming student, she longed for a new healthy distraction after breaking up with her long term boyfriend. Although hesitant, Coulson pursued Greek life and found her home within Phi Mu.

Her initial reason for joining the organization was for their philanthropy such as Cook's Children Hospital. Coulson found a personal connection with her sorority because she was a child who was treated by Cook’s Children as a premature baby.

Coulson did not have huge expectations for her relationships with her sorority sisters. She planned on slowly involving herself in Phi Mu and seeing where things went until, the relationship she developed with her chapters members quickly turned into a sisterhood.

The relationship developed by them helped her heal after her breakup. A pivotal moment she had with one of her sisters was her first college roommate. Coping with the breakup, Coulson found herself emotionally distraught, her then roommate stayed up for two hours to talk through her emotions.

“I found my saving grace in Phi Mu,” Coulson said.

This moment opened Coulson up to the experiences she can develop within her new found sisterhood. She began to volunteer for a variety of committees, including the banner committee, staying behind to clean up after meetings and volunteering during her sorority’s recruitment process.

It can be rare for most college freshmen to be as involved with their university the first year enrolled. Coulson is elated by the work she has done with her organization. She does not describe it as a job but another way to hang out with her friends.

“It feels like I am doing stuff for my family,” Coulson said.

As she continued through her sorority journey she grew into a big sister by adopting two twin littles. In Panhellenic sororities, it is routine for their sisterhood to be developed through assigned sorority members being paired up as a big or little. Big being the senior member and the little being the newer member.

Although inspired by her sisterhood journey within Phi Mu, she does not plan on trying to mimic the sisterhood experience she had.

“I try to make sure she has the experience with Phi Mu that she needs, not necessarily the same experience that I had,” Coulson said.

Overall, Coulson’s experience with her friends in Phi Mu has helped her to be an active participant for the chapter, this has motivated her to apply for the Leadership Awards. 

To learn more about Phi Mu or the Leadership Awards, you can view both via Texansync.tarleton.edu.