Sun Devil finds community, experience and connection in Chi Omega

Julianna Drambarean, an ASU senior and a member of Chi Omega, says that being involved in her sorority has allowed her to become a stronger, more confident, intellectual and generous woman. 

Drambarean is majoring in marketing with certificates in international business and cross-sector collaboration. Originally from Cincinnati, Drambarean fell in love with the desert after traveling out west frequently growing up. 

“When I got accepted into Barrett and Next Generation Service Corps, ASU seemed to be the perfect fit for me,” she said.

Senior Julianna Drambarean studied abroad while in Chi Omega.

Drambarean said that the Chi Omega sorority strives to live and lead by their values of friendship, personal integrity, service to others, academic excellence and intellectual pursuits, community and campus involvement, and personal and career development. 

 “As a group, we stand and abide by those purposes and our mottos in all of our actions, whether that be personal or academic. In addition, we are partnered with the Make A Wish Foundation and host events at ASU raising money to grant childrens' wishes.” 

Drambarean chose to be involved with Chi Omega during recruitment, where she met many amazing women from the sorority who embodied these values.

 “When I entered the house, it felt like a second home. I felt like I belonged, and that feeling is hard to describe. You just know it is right when it is,” she said.

Drambarean said she’s thankful for having joined her house and feels grateful for the community, experiences and connections she’s made in Greek life at ASU.

“Being surrounded by so many different women really allows you to step outside yourself and see who you are, who they are and who you want to be. I have grown not only personally but professionally as well from being part of Chi Omega.”

Another unforgettable experience in Drambarean’s time as a Sun Devil so far has been the opportunity she had to learn overseas. She said that studying abroad was single handedly the best time of her life. Over four months she explored nine different countries with childhood friends, with a new group of friends, with friends from ASU and by herself. 

“I had never been to Europe prior to leaving and going across the pond really forced me to step outside my comfort zone and explore myself,” she said.

Drambarean said that the personal growth she experienced while studying abroad was unlike anything she’d ever experienced before.

“When you place yourself in a foreign environment you learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable. That skill is something so relevant in your personal and professional life.”

In Barcelona and Spain, Drambarean studied international business, e-commerce, Spanish and marketing. 

“Each experience, whether it was trying out a new food, going to an overlook or sight, getting lost on the metro or grabbing a cortado from a cafe were mini lessons that taught me something about myself or my surroundings. I loved learning abroad and experiencing things in person that I had only read in books or seen in movies. I guess you could say studying abroad feels like a coming of age movie.”

As for the future, Drambarean’s current goal is to attend graduate school after working for a few years and eventually start a career in the music industry, possibly doing A&R (artist and repertoire), management, consulting or marketing. 

“I would like to help break gender boundaries within corporate workplaces and help women succeed and flourish in roles of authority,” she said.