Psi Alumna Wins 'Dancing With the Stars of the 'Burg'!

Libbi Fitzgerald ('97) is a wife, mother of three, Registered Nurse, and dancing queen. 


Winner of both the Children's Champion and Grand Champion awards at the 2012 'Dancing with the Stars of the 'Burg' (DWTS) competition, the Psi chapter cannot be more proud to call Libbi one of their own. She practiced her dancing skills for three months straight and fundraised $13,000 for the third annual event benefiting the local daycare center! (That's insane!!) Read on to hear about her experience as a celeb and sister...

Pledge Class: Upsilon  
Hometown: McLean, VA 
Major: Dietetics (I went on to get my nursing degree from BRCC 7 years later) 
Profession: Registered Nurse. Specifically, I am a Certified Breast Health Navigator at Rockingham Memorial Hospital's Women's Center. I "navigate" women through the various steps once they have found out they have an abnormal mammogram. 

How did you get involved in DWTS?
It is a big fundraiser that directly benefits Harrisonburg Rockingham Child Day Care Center (HRCDCC), a United Way funded agency that offers a sliding scale tuition for families of all income levels. The center has never had a "home" of their own; they have been leasing spaces in local churches for over 30 years. Their goal is to eventually build their own center so that they can grow and expand to accommodate the needs of the community. Since they receive limited funding, they must pursue other avenues to obtain money for a new building.

With daughter, Lulu, and her trophy!

All 3 of my children have attended daycare at HRCDCC and it has been a blessing to my family. As a full-time working mom, I know that my children are in a safe, fun place, being cared for by a reliable, trustworthy staff.  So, to answer the question, I was approached by a couple of the daycare board members to participate in DWTS of the 'Burg. It was a real honor to be asked and a great way for me to give back to a cause that means so much to me.

DWTS of the 'Burg is not only a fundraiser, but a big competition! This year, 7 "celebrity" dancers were paired with 7 USA Dance partners. Each team was given a different style of dance and music and a routine was choreographed. We were required to raise a minimum of $4,000 per team. On Sunday, November 11th, we performed our routines in front of 3 judges. The winner was determined by a combination of total money raised and dance scores.

What did you have to do to train?

Practicing with partner Matt Eddy

We practiced twice a week for about an hour to an hour and a half each time. Matt Eddy was my partner and he is actually a JMU grad student! The dance style that was chosen for us was the East Coast Swing. Karen Thomas who owns "Dancing With Karen," choreographed all of the routines.

We started with basic steps and then really got into some dance stunts and lifts. Matt is 6'5 and I am 5'2, so Karen figured that he would be able to throw me up in the air and lift me pretty easily. It worked out well and I had fun learning all these exciting moves! It paid off in the end: we received 3 perfect 10's on our performance!


As far as your time in AST goes... did you hold any positions as an active member? I was Historian one year and made the scrapbook.

What do you miss most about being in AST? I definitely miss the friendships I made. We have all gone our separate ways and it is so hard to keep in touch with our busy lives. Thank goodness for Facebook!

Favorite AST moment? Parties at Melrose were always fun and just dancing and being silly. We used to have a "24-hour party" and President Carrier came and partied with us.

How did being in AST impact your future post-graduation? Being part of a big group and just learning to get along with all different types of personalities definitely prepares you for being in the workplace. Even though you are all part of the same group, there are always going to be conflicts and people you don't get along with. In order to succeed, you have to learn to put the differences behind you and work together.

What advice would you give girls in AST now? Have fun and cherish the wonderful AST memories, but remember why you are at JMU! Study hard, be involved, volunteer, and keep in touch with the friends that really mean something to you! When you girls start looking for jobs, don't sit back and wait for something to happen; be assertive and show determination and drive.

With her husband of 10 years, Alex

Taylor (9), Harper (7), and Laurel aka Lulu (4)