My First Semester in Sigma Eta Pi

Keith Openshaw is a sophomore at USC and a member of SEP’s Omicron Class. During his Founder’s Education experience, Keith developed Impakt Beanies, which makes impact absorbing beanies that work as undercover helmets.

I had a great time during my first semester in SEP. One of my favorite memories so far has been retreat; because I had a chance to get to know my club members on an overnight trip. Events like retreat really help to bring the club closer together and create new connections that may have never formed during our typical meetings. One of the best parts about retreat was when we played tug-of-war, because this event really boosted class unity by pushing us to work together as a team in a physical contest. It also made me feel closer with the class above me because we were competing against them in a fun way. We tried a couple different strategies and ways of holding the rope and, and even though our class kept losing it was still fun. Playing volleyball was also a good time until the ball got caught on the roof, and we switched to basketball. It was also exciting to explore Oxnard and see a new area outside of Los Angeles. I didn’t drive down to the beach, but next time I would like to because I love to explore new beaches.

Another one of my favorite memories was from Big/Little reveal. After solving a sort of puzzle thing to discover who our big was, we all went to karaoke for a while in K-Town which was very exciting because I have never been there before. The karaoke was done in small rooms that are privately rented out which I hadn’t seen before, as the only karaoke I’ve done has been at a big bar where one person sings for the entire restaurant. My music taste is not very mainstream, so I didn’t know most of the songs that we sang, but I felt like if I just yelled loud enough no one really noticed. Then we went to a party hosted by someone in SEP which was very fun, and it gave me another good chance to get to know some people in my class better in a more social, casual situation.

I do think one of the most social parts about SEP comes after meetings. After most Founder’s Education or general meetings, there’s usually a group of people going to go get food, boba, or anything of the sort and it’s always a great chance to get to know a couple people better. It feels like there’s always something going on and the groups are usually small so you can really spend time with individuals and form a deeper connection.