My Life as Sister President

Many of you probably know that I spent the past year serving as my sorority's Chapter President.  My term ended a little over a month ago, and it was an experience that I will forever cherish.  I decided it would be fun to share with y'all an overview from my term, some things I learned, and some tips for those of you who are currently serving your chapter or have dreams to. So where do I begin?  It is difficult to put the past year and what I learned into a few short paragraphs, but I'll do my best.  The year was filled with a roller coaster of emotions and events that are unforgettable.

If you told me two years ago that I would eventually serve my newly founded chapter as President, I would have laughed. When I transferred schools sophomore year, I had a negative first impression of what Greek life was like here, but with a little convincing from my mom I decided to give it a chance. Upon joining my chapter of Alpha Delta Pi, I immediately got involved by serving as one of the Vice Presidents on our first ever Executive Board.  This task was a daunting one as there was nobody, in the chapter that had previously served in this role. This meant that there was nobody I could base my decisions off of.  After the first semester,  I realized how passionate I became about my sorority.  In the summer of 2014 I attended Alpha Delta Pi's leadership conference for emerging leaders where I realized how dedicated I actually was to helping my chapter continue to succeed. It was during this summer that I knew I wanted to run for President in the upcoming elections.

Initially after being elected I was equally nervous and excited to see what the next year would have in store for me. I spent all of winter break educating myself on the policies and procedures, so that I would know what to do in all situations.  Well, it turns out the Chapter Operations Book and Officer manuals don't prepare you for every situation you will encounter...

It gets a little lonely at the top. You go from being part of a large group to being the one that everyone looks to in all situations (both the good and the bad ones). You are the one that has to enforce the rules and live with the consequences when something goes wrong. It's kind of like going from the student who sits towards the back of the classroom to being the teacher.  While your Executive Board becomes your support system, they aren't viewed by the rest of the chapter the same way that you are.  

I like to say being Chapter President is a blessing and curse all wrapped up into one bundle. You get to be the one that everyone loves when things are going well and the one they hate when something goes wrong.  You are under the firing squad 24/7.  You can pretty much count on someone always having something to say about your every action.  However, it's how you react to these situations that makes you an okay President or a great one.  It's up to you to decide how you let these people make you feel. If you allow others to make you feel inferior, then your term is going to be a long one.  From my personal experiences, I  think it is best to compromise while staying true to who you are and what you think is best. Despite the challenges, I still love my sisters and am grateful that they helped make me a better person than I was prior to my term.

Serving in this position gave me the best leadership experience I have ever had.  I was able to grow as an individual and as a leader through the challenging/rewarding experiences. I also enjoyed all of the positives that came with the role too. Like when the chapter survived our first night of formal recruitment, nailed our Preference round ceremony, won awards,  when younger members stepped up into larger roles, or being able to have watched sisters grow as passionate as I am about our organization.  My favorite part of the position was having the ability to empower women to become more involved and develop more leaders.

 I gained some awesome mentors who helped coach me through every step of my term.  I definitely owe my advisors and close friends for keeping me sane at times. If it weren't for them, I honestly don't know if I would have been able to have such a successful Presidency.  

Overall, serving in the role as Chapter President was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life thus far.  I had more meetings, met so many accomplished people, received more emails on a daily basis, and dealt with more difficult situations than ever before in my life. However, I enjoyed the roller coaster ride and enjoy sharing the knowledge I gained along the way.

XOXO

Perks of Attending a Sorority Convention

So remember how in my last post I talked about empowering the women in our lives? Well, last month I found a place where women were empowering each other for five consecutive days. This female empowerment happened at a beautiful resort in Scottsdale, Arizona during Alpha Delta Pi's 164th Grand Convention.  Grand Convention is held in odd years, and every chapter of Alpha Delta Pi sends at least one representative. I had the privilege of attending as the Chapter President for the Theta Sigma Chapter of Alpha Delta Pi. 

The week was filled with Lilly Pulitzer prints, monograms, jack rogers, Kendra Scott jewelry, and lots of azure blue & white. This Lilly loving Pennsylvania girl felt at home being surrounded with southern belle sisters. I swear I left that week with the slightest southern accent. We spent time learning about the direction our organization is taking, voting on important business, electing our new Grand Council, networking with sisters from all over the place, polishing our leadership skills, learning about all that our organization has done the past few years, mental health and well-being, and enjoyed the scenic views that Arizona had to offer. 

As you probably have read by now, I am a founding sister of my chapter.  Being a founder has been quite the roller coaster of high and low points.  It is a lot of hard work, but it comes with a lot of rewards too.  My time at Grand Convention reminded how great my chapter is doing for being so young. We received many awards, which was a great tangible reminder and motivates me to continue to lead the chapter in a positive direction. 

My Tips for Attending and Fraternity/Sorority Convention:

Take Notes: 

You will be provided with a ton of great information during your time at these conferences.  Be sure to bring a pen and a notepad to write everything down. Once you leave, the week feels like a blur and you will most likely forget things if you don't write them down. The education sessions and networking you do will provide you with lots of great ideas to bring back to your chapter.  

Make Friends!

You have an opportunity to network with people from around the world who have similar interests as you. Chances are if you are attending this conference, then you are passionate about your organization and your leadership role.  The people attending the conference will most likely have that same vested interest that you do, which makes for great conversations and friendships. These people will be able to share stories, experiences, and so much more with you. Be sure to exchange numbers, emails, social media accounts, etc. because these are the best resources you will take from attending convention.  Last year I attended a smaller scale version of convention, and the women I met have become my support system and friends!

Recharge.

Take advantage of this opportunity that is being given to you. For me, attending these conferences always seems to renew my love for my organization.  It is a great reminder for why I continue to serve in leadership roles. Additionally, it motivates me to become an even better sister. This year's convention inspired me to become involved once I graduate. Sometimes difficult semesters can drag us down, so this is the time to remind yourself why you spend so much doing what you do. Coming together with people who have a common goal reminds you why you are so passionate. 

Have you ever attended a sorority convention? If so I would love to hear about your experiences! 

XOXO

Sorority Leadership Conferences

At the end of June I spent a long weekend in Atlanta, Georgia with Alpha Delta Pi sisters from across the United States and Canada.  I flew to the Peach State, representing my university, with my chapter president and one other sister.  This year was not a convention year for us, but instead we had two types of leadership conferences Impact and Leadership Seminar. Impact, which I attended, was for rising leaders in the chapter to attend, while Leadership Seminar was a leadership workshop for chapter presidents.  The whole weekend was quite an experience from maneuvering an airport that had its own subway, finding out my roommate would be a total stranger, getting to see my sorority's memorial headquarters, and just listening to the stories that other sisters had to tell about their chapters. 

Yes, this is the country singer Deanna Carter pictured with us!
She gave us a mini concert our last night at the conference.

It was an unforgettable weekend that I am so fortunate to have attended.  I loved making new friends, learning things to bring back to my own chapter, polishing my leadership skills, and just being totally immersed in so much Greek love. 

10 Things You'll Learn From Attending Convention

I do have to admit that reading TSM articles is my guilty pleasure just because of how ridiculous they are sometimes.  The other day as I was browsing the site I came across this article and actually completely agreed with it.  TSM does it right this time.  Check out the article on the 10 things you'll learn from attending convention or something like it.

Did any of you attend your sorority's leadership conference this summer?

xoxo

-mQs-

It's that time of year- Formal Season

This weekend was my chapter's first formal ever! The event was a ton of fun! Since tDn couldn't come, I brought my best friend since age three.  Rather than write about it, I thought it would be fun to share some pictures instead.
  

"Sometimes the people whom we've known for only a short amount of time have a bigger impact on us than those we've known forever." 

xoxo

-mQs-

Lilly Pulitzer- Sorority Sale

Happy Saturday!

The other day one of my sisters informed me that Lilly Pulitzer was having a sale on some of their sorority prints. 

 All sorority printed picture frames are currently $8, plus there is free shipping too.  This is such a good deal.  The frames come in the following sorority prints: Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Omicron Pi, Alpha Phi, Alpha Xi Delta, Chi Omega, Delta Delta Delta, Delta Gamma, Delta Zeta, Kappa Delta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Phi Mu, Pi Beta Phi, and Sigma Kappa.

 I am debating purchasing one because they are usually like $28.  This is such a bargain! 

Xoxo

mQs

I'm Back Part 3- The First, Finest, Forever

Happy Friday everyone.  My Fall break has officially started as of an hour and a half ago!
The other day I shared with you my Formal recruitment experience.  Today I am here to share with you something that has a much a happier ending is rather uplifting.

I mentioned in my last post that I dropped out of recruitment.  Well, I actually did this for a purpose. During the first night of recruitment I attended an information session about a sorority that would be colonizing (added to) campus this Fall, Alpha Delta Pi.  In order to go through Alpha Delta Pi's recruitment process I had to drop out of formal recruitment because ADPi had their own recruiting process, since they were colonizing.

Alpha Delta Pi's recruitment was the week after formal recruitment, last week.
Day one was an information session about their recruitment process and information about Alpha Delta Pi.  Their international president came and spoke to us, which is a pretty big deal!

I wore jeans, clark boots, a blue and white striped shirt, and a cream cardigan.

Day 2 of recruitment was on Wednesday: Philanthropy Night

ADPi's philanthropy is Ronald McDonald House.  We got to socialize with sisters from other collegiate chapters in our area, listen to a presentation given by a RMH representative, and we made a craft.

We made wrist bands for the children at RMH.  These go over their hospital bracelets.  The lion is ADPi's mascot.

My outfit for Philanthropy night:

White and Black polka dot blouse, dark jeans, and my clark boots

Day 3 of Recruitment: "The Interview"

Since ADPi is colonizing on campus, the alumni and members of executive had the opportunity to choose the type of woman they were looking for to represent ADPi.  In order to get to know you better, each woman wishing to join ADPi was required to have an interview with two ADPi alumnae women. During the interview, they asked me questions about my history of leadership, why I wanted to go ADPi, and characteristics to describe myself.  It only lasted about thirty minutes, but to me it felt more like a conversation rather than an interview.  I think this because the two women who interviewed me were so friendly. 

I wore a Navy and white striped dress from GAP, black pumps, and (of course) my pearls.

I got a compliment from the two women because I wore blue and white, ADPi's official colors.  I swear I didn't mean to do so, it was just a coincidence.

Day 4 BID DAY (Friday)

We were told that if we received a phone call from 8-10 a.m. then that meant we did not receive a bid, but if we did not receive a phone call then we were to pick up our bid at noon in the student union.  Well, let me tell you how at 9:55 my phone rang and it was a number I did not know, so I answered it...  turns out it was just a telemarketer.  

After taking an exam and attending two more classes, I went to the student union building to accept my bid.  I was greeted with a big hug, a tee shirt, and tons of lovely alumni congratulating us.  

We were to come back in three hours for our Colony Bid Day Celebration. So I went to the library and did some homework I went on pinterest to create my ADPi board. 

Bid Day Celebrations included chanting, sisterhood bonding, ice breakers, pinning ceremony, pizza, group pictures, making trick or treat bags for the children at RMH, and a trip to Kiwi Frozen Yogurt courtesy of ADPi. 

 Since we are colonizing on campus, there were absolutely no existing members for our campus so we recruited a large number of girls (approximately 90).  Since there are no existing members, this means that my sisters and I are the founding members of ADPi WCU.

 The energy of that afternoon was indescribable. Everyone was filled with such happiness and positivity.  

These are two of my sisters. The one on the left actually was who i was paired with every time during formal recruitment, she too dropped out of formal recruitment for ADPi.  My sister on the right side of the picture is one of the first people I really connected with at my new school.  We have a class together three times a week.

Bid Day was the first of many days of meeting new people and getting acquainted with all my sisters. I met some great people, and I look forward to getting to know them better.

Sunday was our sisterhood retreat.  We learned about the history of ADPi, had sisterhood bonding, ate some delicious food, played games outside, took pictures, learned about values, filled out paperwork, played icebreakers, and crafted. It was a long day but definitely important.

My very first sorority crafting experience. I am a terrible painter, but I love this saying.

We were placed into groups, and spend the day with these people.  These are the sisters I got to know better on Sunday.  What I enjoy about being a sorority this far is that everyone is different and we each have something unique to bring to the table.

This is Katie, she is a consultant for Alpha Delta Pi.  After telling Miss ALK (a blogging friend and now sister of mine) that  I was joining ADPi, she asked me if I had met Katie.  Well, the answer is YES! Miss ALK had met Katie when she was going through recruitment several weeks ago at her college down south.  I asked Katie is she knew Miss ALK, and it turns out she remembered talking to her.  Katie shared with me that Miss ALK had told her she knew somebody at my university going through recruitment who was considering joining ADPi, referring to me.  It is really such a small world.

These are just a few of the items I received over the weekend thanks to Alpha Delta Pi!

So there you have it, my complete sorority recruitment experience.  I am so excited to be a sister of Alpha Delta Pi, and I can't wait to see the opportunities that it will provide me with in life.

Xoxo

-mQs-

I'm Back Part 2- Formal Recruitment

My freshman year of college, I had considered going through sorority recruitment, but due to the fact that I has already committed to field hockey I opted not to.  Ever since last Spring, I have been back and forth with do I go through recruitment at my new school or not.  Well I will be honest, as recruitment approached I was leaning more towards not going through it just because I did not get a good feeling about it.

The Wednesday night before recruitment started I was sitting in my extremely long and boring night class, Teaching English Language Learners, when I got a text from my mom.  She said that she talked with my dad and they wanted me to check out meet the Greeks after class.  Initially, I was reluctant to attend the event, but my class ended a few minutes early so I thought why not just pop in.  The very least that happens is I get  free cupcake to hold me over until I get home for dinner.  

I attended the event and was pleasantly surprised at what I encountered.  I discovered that there were eight soon to be nine sororities on campus.  The women I spoke to were all really friendly.  I found each of their stories, about why they went Greek, to be so fascinating. After the event, I left with a lot to think about, since registration for recruitment ended the next day.  On Thursday morning I went to the Panhellenic website and registered myself for Fall 2013 formal recruitment.

Friday night: There was a meeting we were required to attend.  Here we were given information about how the recruitment process works, DOs and DON'Ts of recruitment and its rules, and our recruitment leader/groups.  After meeting our recruitment leader, we were given name tags and asked to write three morals on them.  This year Panhellenic was doing a big push for moral based recruitment. 

Saturday: Open House Round 1

In my state sororities are not allowed to have official houses, so each sorority was given a room within our student union center.  After checking in with our peer mentors, we were then split into groups of about 50 girls, by last name.  There were 8-10 groups so over 450 women were going through recruitment.  We spent 25 minutes in each of the four sororities we visited.  When you weren't visiting a sorority you had to wait in the "break room". Mind you they take away all your personal belongings at check in, so during this wait time you literally have nothing to do.  With four breaks throughout the night, people get irritated very quickly.  Me, being the nerd I am, was constantly thinking this is quality time I could be getting work done for school. After visiting each of the four sororities, we met with our recruitment counselor, debriefed about the evening, and then were given details about Sunday.

I wore black jeggings, a shirt from Francesca's, and my Clark's boots

Sunday: Open House Round 2

On this day we were supposed to go around and meet the remaining five sororities.  Sunday morning I woke up not feeling well, so I was forced to stay in bed and rest, instead of attending recruitment.  On this day were to pick our top five and bottom three choices. Yes, I know this only adds up to eight, but the ninth sorority had a different recruitment process because they are colonizing on campus this semester.

I now had to wait a week for the other half of recruitment...

Friday: Philanthropy Round

Each woman had the potential to receive up to five invites back based on the preference they and each sorority did.  This night, the rounds were 30 minutes with 10 minutes in between each round.  After watching a short slide show, we received our invites.  I received two: one sorority was in my top 5 the other one was my very last choice. I had to wait 40 minutes in the break room before I attended my first party.  After my first party, I had to go back wait and additional 40 minutes, and then I attended my last and favorite party of the night.  At the time, I had thought things went really well at the second party. After visiting each sorority and learning about their philanthropy, we filled out yet another preference sheet. I then, discussed my options with my recruitment counselor and then went home for the night.

For some reason the stripes look odd in this picture, but I wore a black and white striped maxi dress with my jacks.

Saturday: Pref Night

On this night, each woman had the potential to attend three parties.  Each party would be 50 minutes long with 10 minutes in between.  After watching another PowerPoint, we were given our invites for the night.  I receive just one invite, and it was from my last choice.  I knew I did not want to join this sorority, it just didn't feel like the right fit for me.  I did not even attend the party, I just talked to my recruitment counselor and chose to drop out of formal recruitment.  

I wore a strapless dress from GAP, with a white cardigan, and black pumps.

(sorry the lighting is awful)

At the end of Saturday, I was a little disappointed. But just like anything else I do, I told my self that everything happens for a reason.

Looking back at the whole formal recruitment process, I felt like I was just an animal being herded around.  The large amount of girls going out for recruitment along with the short amount of time spent in each sorority just made the entire experience feel superficial and not personal at all.

I am glad, I decided to go through recruitment because I think I would have looked back and regretted my choice not to do so, later on in life. 

Xoxo

-mQs-