Welcome to the NY ETA Chapter of Pi Beta Phi! At New York University, individuals are exposed to endless opportunities - like having a cool internship, volunteering, or joining a club such as a sorority or fraternity!


However, at a school located in a city as large as New York City, it can sometimes be a struggle to find a sense of community. That’s why I joined Pi Beta Phi. Pi Phi gives women a feeling of belonging and encouragement to thrive at NYU through our incredible sisterhood that makes me proud to be an Angel! Take a look below and learn about the history of Pi Beta Phi at NYU, our sisterhood and philanthropy initiatives!


Over 150 years ago, twelve remarkably courageous and intelligent women gathered in a room in Monmouth, Illinois and founded what we know today as Pi Beta Phi. These women strongly believed in seven core values which Pi Beta Phi chapters internationally uphold today: Integrity, Lifelong Commitment, Honor & Respect, Personal and Intellectual Growth, Philanthropic Service to Others and Sincere Friendship. Pi Beta Phi as a national organization strives to provide lifelong enrichment to its members and contributes to the betterment of society. Here at NYU, we strive to follow in these footsteps. 


Nationally, Pi Beta Phi was founded on April 28th, 1867 at Monmouth College and since its founding, the fraternity has installed over 200 chapters and more than 300 alumnae organizations across the United States and Canada. More than 300,000 women have been initiated into Pi Phi since 1867, WOW, we are all lucky to be a part of that huge number!   


The NY Eta chapter was founded on January 31st, 2009 and just turned 11 years old. We may be a young chapter, but are so excited to celebrate more years of Pi Phi here at NYU to come! Pi Beta Phi at NYU is the 132nd chapter to be installed and currently has approximately 150 members, making us the largest Panhellenic sorority here at NYU. We have also held our title of having the highest GPA in all of Greek Life for over 8 semesters, having an average GPA of a 3.5 for initiated members! The NY Eta Chapter encourages girls to thrive academically, either in their classes or their internships/jobs outside of NYU! 


Not only are academics a strong suit for Pi Phi at NYU but our Philanthropy initiatives are incredible as well! We advocate for literacy by following the Read > Lead > Achieve practice. We do this by participating in the Champions Are Readers (CAR) where we partner with a local school twice a week to read and engage with students 1st - 3rd grade! These students are incredible and it is an amazing and fun experience for all of us! Along with CAR, we also have philanthropy events such as our annual Fall Lip Synch Battle Competition ArrowJam, or our annual Spring Wiffle Ball Tournament, Angels in the Outfield. We also participate in Story Pirates where we read stories from children ages 5-10 and write them encouraging reactions to their stories! 


Our sisterhood at NYU is like none other!! Bored in the city? We never heard of her! Here at NY ETA, we participate in many fun sisterhood events throughout the year, such as visiting art museums like The Met, participating in a fun workout class, or going to fun food market such as Smorgasburg! We also love to have more chill hangouts like watching The Bachelor every week or movie nights! All in all, the NY Eta chapter has a strong sisterhood and if a sister ever needs help or just wants a buddy to eat with, she knows who to go to!  


If you asked me three years ago if I was planning on going through recruitment at NYU, my response would have been, “NYU has Greek life?”. The possibility of joining a sorority was not in my thought process whatsoever when I got my acceptance letter up to the first few weeks of classes. However, I am so grateful that I took the lead of faith and went through recruitment because I found a home here at NYU. Before Pi Phi, I would definitely consider myself a shy person and not someone who particularly liked to do their own thing if it wasn’t what everyone else was doing. Since my initiation of Fall 2017, Pi Beta Phi has changed my confidence completely. With the encouragement of 150 other girls who constantly support each other, I have gained so many leadership skills that have helped me mentally, socially, and academically. I could not thank Pi Beta Phi enough because even when I thought that I would just be just another girl in a sorority, I learned that we’re not just a sorority, we’re a sisterhood that is always there for one another. I could not be prouder to be a Pi Phi here at NYU!


Since my initiation in 2017, Pi Beta Phi has affected my life tremendously. Not only has it given me the confidence that I discussed before, but the sorority has encouraged me to network with others, ask for help when it comes to a difficult class, or just asking someone to grab food! That may be my favorite aspect of NY Eta. I love all of the amazing sisterhood and philanthropic events that we have, but my favorite thing to do with sisters may just be relaxing, getting a bite to eat, or just watching a movie with each other! 


Besides being President, I was the Greek Week Sports Captain (the year Pi Phi won Greek Week) and a Sisterhood Chair my last semester. In the Fall I was also awarded for my philanthropic effects for leading our Champions Are Readers events! At NY Eta, we encourage every member to get involved as much as they chose to, even if they might not think they are capable of doing so. That was me before being slated as President. I was terrified and did not think in a million years that I could lead a group of intelligent, empowering women. However, just like Pi Beta Phi has done so for the past two years, this sorority and Chapter at New York University has shown me that I can do anything that I set my mind to!


I could not be  more honored to be chosen as the Chapter President of NY Eta for the 2020 year and I know that with the help of my team and all of the members, it will be an incredible year! I cannot wait for what new and exciting things we bring to Pi Phi at NYU and I hope that this website reflects how special a sorority Pi Beta Phi is!


Pi Phi Love & Mine Always,
Natalie Formento