Members of the Month: Brianna Van Houten & Bridget Bucaro

Written by Carla Sacha a second year student triple majoring in Sociology, Anthropology, and Environmental and Sustainability Studies. She is also our chapter's Public Relations Chairperson.
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An Alpha Lambda Delta member since Spring 2016, Brianna Van Houten is a sophomore at WMU studying Choral and General Music Education. In her short time as a member of our chapter, she has left an impression on us and we hope we’ve done the same for her. 
When asked why she joined ALD, Brianna told us that she wanted to “find ways to get more involved on campus and in the community and also meet some new people.” During her time at volunteer events, she’s had the chance to interact with our other members and we hope these connections last. 
Brianna told us, “I have meet some amazing people through this organization and have been able to be a part of many volunteering activities.” 
On top of ALD, Brianna is in the Lee Honors College as well as a member of NAfME which is the National Association for Music Education. Being as involved as she is, you may think Brianna would be tuckered out – but no! Brianna also participates in Miss America pageants and, in doing so, is involved in even more community service. If that wasn’t enough, Brianna is also on the praise band for her church and helps out at after school events for elementary schools. Overall, we think Brianna is a shining star! 
“This is a great organization and I am thankful I am a part of it,” Brianna told us, and we are thankful for her too! 
Our other Member of the Month, Bridget Bucaro, is a junior at WMU majoring in Speech-Language Pathology and minoring in Family Life Education. Coming into ALD in Spring of 2015, Bridget “wanted to be meet new people, be involved on campus, and the Kalamazoo area.” We’re happy that Bridget got involved with ALD and we appreciate all she’s done for us! 
A past volunteering event at the Bronson Commons was Bridget’s favorite volunteering she’s done with ALD. We loved having her there with us and she enjoyed it, saying “It was a lot of fun to be able to interact with residents and help them with different arts and crafts.” 
Coupled with ALD, Bridget is also a member of the American Sign Language Club and the National Student Speech Language and Hearing Association. She also volunteers with a communication station preschool. We love to see how involved and dedicated Bridget is even outside of ALD. 
In addition to everything we have listed, Bridget is also a Learning Community Assistant in her residence hall and she has been extremely helpful in letting us hold ALD info sessions in her hall. 
Almost most importantly, Bridget has time in her busy schedule to enjoy a good cup of Joe, “Coffee is my favorite,” she says. Keep drinking that coffee, Bridget. 
Both Bridget and Brianna volunteered at our Camp Kidwell event this past semester and we had so much fun spending time with them. They “helped serve and prepare meals for their Christmas celebration,” said Brianna. We’ve enjoyed having them in our chapter so much and we look forward to their continued dedication and membership. ALD appreciates what all our members bring to our chapter, and we are especially thankful for the contributions from Bridget and Brianna. Congratulations, you two!