SORORITY BECOMES FAMILY

JA'NAE SMITH

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

Psychology Major / Zeta Phi Beta Sorority

The University of Nebraska at Omaha’s campus always felt like home for Ja’Nae Smith, even though she spent most of her life away from the city.  

The undergraduate psychology major was born in raised in Omaha, spent most of her youth growing up in Illinois, and graduated from high school in Minnesota. It was her father and sister – both UNO graduates – who were bridges to a university and a community Ja’Nae had longed to be a part of. When the time came to pick a university, UNO was a natural fit.  

“It was important to me to go somewhere that had a community for me to thrive in, to start my journey as a college student and as an independent person,” Ja’Nae said.  

Ja’Nae hit the ground running her first year on campus by joining clubs and taking on leadership opportunities in UNO Student Government. It wasn’t until she came across a social media post that depicted a group of Black UNO students in sororities strolling – a form of dancing that Black Greek letter organizations perform – that she found a Maverick family to be a part of.  

“I said, ‘Wow, a group of women who look like me are all together supporting each other,’” Ja’Nae said. 

Ja’Nae began researching Omaha Greeks at UNO and the nine national Black Greek letter organizations who fall under the National Panhellenic Council (NPHC) umbrella. She said it was Zeta Phi Beta who stood out among the groups because of their principles, their values, and their service-centric mission. 

“I pursued them, they loved me, and I loved them back,” she said. “Then I became a member of the sorority and since then I’ve done my due diligence to honor the oath I took.” 

Today, Ja’Nae is the sole member of her local chapter. In addition to her coursework as a student, a job at Boys Town, and other on-campus involvement, she is tasked with building her chapter’s membership before she graduates. It’s a difficult task, but one she is confident she can achieve thanks to the lessons she has learned along the way as a UNO student and a product of Omaha Greeks.  

“My mission is to continue to build up the Divine Nine, which is the nickname for our organizations on campus, so we can see more Black Greek letter organizations on our campus and just continue to make UNO as diverse in every area as possible,” Ja’Nae said.  

With UNO returning to more traditional in-person and on-campus operations for the 2021 semester, Ja’Nae has an opportunity to interact with more students and share with them how Omaha Greeks has made a positive impact on her life.  

“If you are looking for culture, if you’re looking for service, if you’re looking for tradition, Black Greek letter organizations are something that have helped develop me as a woman,” Ja’Nae said. “I would tell them if you’re looking for more than just going to school and leaving, join Greek Life.”