Student Blog: A Week of Connection: An Alpha Psi Omega Experience

One of my favorite things about being involved in theatre at Texas State University is getting to connect with people who share the same passion for the performing arts that I do! This October, I got to experience one of my favorite traditions all over again, but this time with a new perspective as Vice President of Alpha Psi Omega!

At Texas State University, I currently serve as the Vice President of Alpha Psi Omega (APO), our theatre Honor Society. As an organization, we strive to bring people together through our shared love of the performing arts while also finding ways to serve our community. Our main goal is to inspire creativity, build connections, and give back through theatre. And one of my favorite things about APO is that we welcome everyone who wants to be involved!

October has been our busiest month yet! Not only did we officially induct our newest members into our organization, but we also celebrated one of our biggest traditions of the year: “The Week!” The Week is a special time in October when our members come together for late-night theatre games, improv activities, friendly competitions, and, most importantly, opportunities to connect with one another. It is always such a fun experience, but this year, I wanted to make it even better!

Last year, I served as APO’s Secretary, and during that time, our officer team noticed that attendance had been declining over the past few years. While our new members were excited to participate in the activities, many of our returning members weren’t attending as often. We had all these fun improv games and events planned, but we were struggling to find ways to motivate everyone to get involved. As Secretary, much of my responsibility involved helping facilitate service opportunities for our theatre department, such as selling concessions at upcoming productions. However, as I prepared to take on my new role as Vice President this year, I had an idea!

Every year, APO divides its members into teams called Color Houses! Each house is assigned a color, and during The Week, the teams compete against one another in relay races, improv games, and all sorts of fun theatre-related challenges. We even have a point system to keep track of which house is winning! The only problem? In previous years, the points ended when The Week was over. Once our new members were inducted, the competition was finished until the following year. When I learned that one of the Vice President’s responsibilities was managing the Color House points, I started thinking: What if we kept the competition going all year long?

Instead of only earning points during The Week, members could earn points throughout the fall and spring semesters by attending meetings, volunteering at concessions, participating in events, and winning games with their Color Houses. At the end of the year, the house with the most points would win a prize! I brought the idea to our officer team, and they approved it! And let me tell you, it was a HUGE HIT! We started seeing more participation from both new and returning members! People were showing up, getting involved, and having fun together. It was so exciting to see an idea I had turn into something that encouraged more people to participate in an organization we all love!

Of course, one of the best parts of The Week is the games themselves! Throughout the week, we play games like New Choice, Translator, Charades, Song Trivia, and so much more! These games give everyone a chance to be creative, think on their feet, and work together with their teammates. My absolute favorite night is our station rotation night! Each Color House rotates through different stations, where they have less than ten minutes to complete a game or challenge before moving on to the next one. Whichever team makes it the furthest wins! I love this night because it combines so many of my favorite things about theatre: creativity, teamwork, improv, a little friendly competition, and, of course, lots of laughter! There is something so special about being surrounded by people who share the same passion as you and getting to spend the night just having fun together.

Another one of my favorite traditions is our Big and Little Reveal! At the end of The Week, our new members get to find out who their Big is! A Big is an older member who helps welcome and guide a newer member through their APO experience. I still remember how excited I was to meet my Big during my freshman year, and now I love getting to help create that same experience for someone else! To me, that is what makes APO special. Yes, we play games, compete for points, and participate in service events, but at the heart of everything we do is connection.

When I first joined APO, I was looking for a way to become more involved in theatre and meet people who shared my interests. What I found was a community of people who have become some of my closest friends. These are people I love seeing on campus, spending time with, and making memories with every day! Now, as Vice President, getting to help create those same opportunities for our newer members has been one of the most rewarding parts of my college experience. The Week may only last a few days, but the friendships and connections we make last so much longer. And hopefully, with our new year-round Color House competition, we can keep that same excitement going throughout the entire year! I am so grateful to be part of Alpha Psi Omega at Texas State University, and I cannot wait to see what the rest of this year holds!