Cheer | Senior | Current Favorite Pump-Up Song: “Timber” by Pitbull and Kesha Mia Scotter (Kappa Zeta-McGill)
Any pre- competition traditions you swear by? I love inviting my teammates over before a competition, whether to eat or just get ready together. Once we’re at the competition, we always do a line dance as a team to warm up.
This winter, when Mia Scotter (Kappa Zeta-McGill) walks across the stage at McGill University, she’ll carry more than a degree in computer science and French. She’ll leave behind the version of herself who once hesitated in the face of challenge — replaced by someone who now sees obstacles as invitations to grow. “The fears we don’t face become our limits,” Mia says, recalling the words of Canadian writer Robin Sharma. “That sums up my time at McGill perfectly.” Rewind to 2022, when Mia was a first-year student. She arrived on campus feeling both nervous and excited. Everything was unfamiliar: new faces, a new environment and a completely different routine. As an only child, Mia knew she needed to break out of her shell and find her people, the sense of connection she had long craved growing up. When the university’s cheerleading team announced auditions, Mia saw an opportunity. Though she had never cheered before, her background in dance gave her the confidence to give it a shot.
“Tryouts were scary,
but it brought me way out of comfort zone, so I’m glad I did it,” Mia says.
Mia’s team quickly became the siblings she never had, and one teammate, an Alpha Phi, encouraged her to participate in winter recruitment. That decision changed everything for her. “I always felt lonely as a kid, and I kind of became comfortable being alone because I had no other choice,” she says. “Since joining Alpha Phi, I haven’t felt alone. I have a support system of women I can turn to who encourage me and push me. Alpha Phi has given me a sense of belonging I never thought I could have.” When it comes to Mia’s cheerleading career, her Alpha Phi sisters are always the loudest in the stadium, cheering on Mia at every football game.
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