Columbus, Ohio

    I had such a fun time in Ohio! I visited the chapter at Capital University. They are such a fun and outgoing group of women. I was lucky enough to be there during their first formal recruitment as Alpha Sigma Alpha! It was so much fun! I love recruitment!

Recruitment

    It was three days of crazy, but we all survived. It was a little hectic the first few days because we were all learning what to do. The women were so awesome and going with the flow and being flexible. We definitely pulled through and did so amazing at recruitment. The new members were all amazing. I was so proud. Like a momma duck when her ducklings learn to swim! I hope that next semester I get to take part in a few more recruitment visits because they are by far some of my favorites.

The Town

    The town was a very nice town. The school was very small, but the city of Columbus was huge! It was a lot of fun, but the women informed me that there were armed robberies happening in the neighborhood! That was definitely a little frightening. There was even an incident where a pimp was following two women down the street! I guess human trafficking is a huge issue in Ohio. Who would have guessed?! Although these scary things were happening around the city, the women were confident we would all stay safe and they kept me well informed of what to look out for. I survived!

Inspired

    One of the women in this chapter truly inspired me. She is so amazing. While being a full time student and part of a sorority, she has had time to found a non-profit organization, One Life, to help people find causes that they are passionate about. She is the CEO of her own company! How amazing is that?! At such a young age. She is very passionate about human trafficking and giving back. Last year, she saw a woman being beaten outside of a hotel one night. She pulled up to the pair and approached the two people. The man fled the scene, and this young woman took the woman being beaten with her and helped her to take care of her wounds and fed her and clothed her. It turns out this woman was a prostitute and the next day she called an organization to help her recover and escape the sex trade. This sorority woman has changed people's lives! I was very inspired by her stories and her ambition. I hope her organization is very successful! Check out her website: www.seehelptell.org

Throwing up the crown after Preference Night

Me with the chapter after our week of hard work!

Millersville, Pennsylvania

    My trip to Millersville was quite an eventful one! I was so busy the week flew by! I had such a fantastic time visiting the chapter at Millersville University and spending time with the alumnae there. I cannot wait to return in late October / early November. It is a treat to visit such a wonderful group.

The Town

    Millersville is a tiny town, very similar to the town I went to school in. The campus was very quaint. It is was under renovations, because they are remodeling and adding on to the library. They are also beginning to remodel the dorms and make them in to suites! I am so jealous! I was able to see a lot of the town during my visit. It is crazy how quickly a small town turns into farmland. It is so beautiful and reminded me a lot of Pittsburg State University. I definitely miss my friends down there, but I know they are having a great time without me!

 

The Women

    What a great group! I have not laughed as hard as I did during my visit for such a long time. They truly made me feel at home. Some of them have already made plans to hang out with me when I return! I am so excited! They want to take me to the second largest mall in America and to Hershey, Pennsylvania! How fun! While I was visiting this chapter we help a Phoenix degree for the new members that had just accepted their bids. I love ceremonies, so it was a lot of fun to get to attend a Phoenix degree on the road. I was glad that I could be there to welcome the new members as well. I want to make sure they are excited to be lifelong members of such a great organization.
    We also had a sisterhood movie night, which turned in to quite the event. We had reserved a room in the student center, but discovered we were unaware of how to work the technology. Unfortunately, all of the technical help had left for home. After a half hour of trying to work the technology, we gave up and started a game of charades! It was so fun and we all had a great laugh. It goes to show that we can make our own fun!
   Another day, two women and I went apple picking! It was so much fun! We had a great time picking apples and walking around the apple orchard. It was such a beautiful orchard with tons, and tons of apples. I am so glad that I go to have that experience with them.
   

This is after the Phoenix degree

 

Sammie in her footie pajamas for our sisterhood movie night. She made me laugh like crazy!

 

Ladybug cupcakes! Yumm

 

Two women from Epsilon Kappa and I at the apple orchard

 

Me picking an apple!

Live it. Talk it. Dream it. Work for it. (I have officially done all four! :) )

 

 

Extra

    I continue to learn more about myself as I continue on the road. I have learned that I am able to have uncomfortable discussions. I can think on my feet (for the most part), although I am still trying to perfect this skill. I am pretty good at relating to others and being understanding. I am working on my teaching skills right now. Sometimes I struggle explaining things through speech; I feel as though I am better at explaining things on paper. I am definitely working a lot on my speech and conversation skills with this job! I am nervous at what else I am going to learn about myself, but hopefully I will learn my strengths and my shortcomings, learn to continue to grow, and learn to accept that I will always have faults but I will never let them define me.



Harrisonburg, Virginia

    James Madison University was such a large school! It was so fun to get to see the difference between my alma matter and a large state school.

Recruitment

   I was at James Madison University during their fall formal recruitment! It was AWESOME! The women were so on top of things and had everything organized before I even arrived. I was so excited to experience this large recruitment. With 1,000 women going through recruitment, hoping to call a sorority their home, I was thrilled to watch the women chant and have conversations with all of the women.
    I will admit I was in shock when the women began chanting for the first time. The women all stood within the house while three women stood outside the front door chanting. But this wasn't your average sing-song chanting. The women were yelling at the top of their lungs to ensure that the women awaiting to enter their home could hear what they were saying. As the whole house shook with excitement and spirit I was all smiles! Everyone had such positive attitudes the entire week and the women were so energized and excited to be receiving new members this semester. I was so happy that I could witness this amazing recruitment. I was even allowed to tour other houses during the skit night! I loved getting to see how other sororities put together creative skits.

The Women

    The women were nothing but friendly during my visit to JMU. They were all so kind as to drive me around town and pick me up when I needed anything. They even gave me a recruitment shirt! I was so excited! We all know how much I love t-shirts :) Everyone was very welcoming. I loved having lunch with them and hearing about their lives and the university as we strolled through campus to grab lunch or dinner. The campus was huge by the way! They also had the best campus food I have ever eaten! There were so many options and some of the best desserts ;) I was one lucky gal to get to visit James Madison University.

The Town

    The town of Harrisonburg was not the largest town, but it was very homie. I loved the atmosphere and the fact that they had some of my favorite stores and restaurants ;) I would love to visit James Madison University again someday. The town was mostly made up of the university and was divided by a highway, but I had a great time there! I almost wish I would have looked into attending school there! (Just kidding, because then I wouldn't have met the wonderful friends I did in Pittsburg, KS. Love you guys!)

Some of the officers and I in their chapter room

Travels

    I will say that I seem to not have the best luck with flying, but I still enjoy it! This time I was traveling out of Charlottesville, VA. When I arrived to the airport I found a long line of passengers waiting to receive their HANDWRITTEN boarding passes. All of the computers had broken down! After a long wait and help from the fantastic staff, I was able to finally board my plane with my healthy breakfast of pretzel M&Ms. I landed in Atlanta, GA to hike across the airport, which is miles long in case you did not know, and take a seat before boarding my flight. I took a short nap on the plane and safely arrived in Philadelphia, PA to start my week with the wonderful women of Millersville University! Oh, and I almost forgot. My hairbrush was missing after the TSA search my suitcase :( Apparently, Dad thought it was funny that I was so concerned, but it was my favorite hairbrush! Luckily, those are easily replaced!

Random

    I have been reading the book The Last Lecture and I would recommend this book to everyone. It has truly inspired me to start pursuing my dreams no matter how silly they seem. The man who wrote this book was amazing and I am so glad that my mom bought this for me! I think it is definitely a book for all ages too, young and old.

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined."

-- Henry David Thoreau

Radford, Virgina

    I had a great time at Radford University! I was so excited once I got there! The women were very welcoming and the university was absolutely beautiful. While I was there I kept thinking this would be a great school to get my Master's at. I started of my visit by eating at a local restaurant called Sharky's. It was delicious! The fried pickles were probably the best I have ever eaten. I spent time at an apartment on "dark side". "Dark side" earned its name because it has fewer street lamps and street lighting than "light side". After spending some time with the women there, I moved to a townhouse in "light side". The women I lived with in both homes were fantastic! They were so nice and I enjoyed getting to know them. The woman in the town home had just bought a puppy golden retriever! He was the cutest little thing. We had fun playing around. Although it wasn't so fun stepping in his pee on my last night.

The Town

    Radford is a small town, almost like the one were I went to school. The largest chain restaurant there is Applebee's. I loved eating at the local food places! They had a delicious sushi restaurant and a delicious bakery that made the best cookies! Yumm! There was a main road in town that had a "downtown" feel with all of the local shops and food areas. The campus was a large part of Radford. All of the students lived in old homes with character, which were beautiful, or in apartment buildings.
    I enjoyed my stay and the places they had to eat on campus were very cool! I ate at Au Bon Pain, which was a yummy sandwich, soup, and salad shop. I also ate a lot of salad from Wild Greens. And I cannot forget all the Starbucks I drank! It was wonderful! I do love coffee more than I probably should. When I was staying at the townhouse, I had to hike up a very steep hill. It was about a ten minute walk and quite the workout, but I actually enjoyed the walk! I was able to forgive myself for not going to the gym. :)

Sisters

    I had some amazing conversations with the women from Radford University. They are so amazing and have done so much to build their chapter up. I was so impressed with all of their hard work. The women also have strong support from their advisor, who has really helped them. I cannot wait to return to Radford to spend more time with the women and get to know them even better! I truly appreciate their hospitality and their energetic spirits. And, I will admit, I am excited to see the puppy again! He was just so darn adorable :)

Little Levi! What a cutie :)

My beautiful view of Radford, VA from the townhouse on a hill

 

Travel

    I got to take a short drive through Virginia with two women from Radford. We drove through some areas with beautiful mountain scenery on our way to meet with women from James Madison University. I definitely regret not taking photos. We stopped at a little zoo to meet up. They had pictures with baby tigers! I am jealous that I didn't have time to walk through the zoo. I definitely love the view in Virginia. Everything seems to beautifully green :)

Lynchburg, Virginia

The Town

    The town of Lynchburg has a lot of history. It is a historic battle site, the battle of Lynchburg. One of the advisers, Cherie, took me to lunch in the downtown area at the best sandwich shop! We had a fantastic time. She even took me to visit the grave site of one of the sorority founders, Louise Cox Carper. It was very cool to see  I loved getting to see the beautiful brick homes that had so much character. Lynchburg was small town, but not too small. The campus was beautiful as well! The campus has so much on-campus housing. I was amazed at all of the options the women had.

The grave site of Louise Cox Carper, one of the five founders.

 

Time with the Women

    The women at Lynchburg College were so awesome! We had a great time hanging out and watching movies, TV shows, and crazy YouTube videos! If you have some free time, this is the video that was stuck in our head the whole time I was there: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJeG-GGH114 It is funny, but kind of weird! One of the women who lived in the chapter house made us chocolate chip cookies EVERY DAY! They were so delicious I could not resist! She even made some in the shape of my initials (photo below). I love staying with all of them. They referred to each other as "squid" and by the end of my visit I became an official "squid". I was so happy to get to know them and I hope to see them all in the future! What a fantastic second visit! I am still trying to get used to the humidity of Virginia. The temperature on my phone never seems to be accurate, or at least it is not what I expect.

 

The cookies they made especially for me! Yumm :)

Look at this cute little kitten! Angie had taken in two kittens as a foster mom from the animal shelter. I knew my little sister Jaclyn would be jealous!

 

I'm off to Radford, Virginia to meet a new group of women and continue my journey on the road!



Marshall, Missouri

    I had such a great time at my first visit. I went to Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Missouri. The women there were amazing! The school was a major athletic college and majority of the students were there on athletic scholarships. I was very impressed at their capabilities of managing a college sport, school work, work, and a sorority! I was very blessed to have met the women their. They were all so friendly and kind.

Town

    The town of Marshall, Missouri is a very small town. They had an Applebee's and all of the fast food restaurants, but every thing else was small town. We ate at a small town restaurant named Luke's. They had amazing burgers! I love small town food places! WalMart was where everyone went to kill time. The campus was a large part of the town, and it was beautiful. All of the buildings were brick and the campus was small, so you could walk the entire campus in five to ten minutes.

My Stay

    I stayed at the chapter house at Missouri Valley College. Many of the women lived in the house. I was pretty spacious. I even had my own room! We had a sisterhood event at the house which was a lot of fun. We played Apples to Apples, which was a riot. Afterwards we walked to Dairy Queen for some ice cream! While we were their, one of the members shoved ice cream in her friends face, and while she was laughing she leaned back and dunked her hair in my sundae. We all had a good laugh! Luckily I was finished. I told all of the women that I would remember them forever! Your first visit as a leadership consultant is one that you will always remember!

This is me with a few of the women in front of their chapter house.

 

Flight to Virginia

    My flight out of Missouri was definitely an interesting one. Well, first we had to leave at 3 AM to get to the airport! I arrived around 5 AM. The airport was packed at 5 AM and the line to check luggage took 30 minutes. After that I had to wait in line for security. I almost missed my flight! Once I was on the plane, a baby was crying right behind me and kept kicking my seat. The poor mother was trying to quiet her down. Luckily, she fell asleep once we took off. The sunset was beautiful to watch as we flew through the clouds. I wish I would have taken a picture. Once I arrived at DC I had a nice little wait. The airplane that I boarded had no air conditioning! We were all sweating to death! The flight was delayed 30 minutes so that they could stop one engine and start the other to pull in some cool air. Once I arrived at Charlotte I had missed my flight to Roanoke, and had to wait an hour for the next flight. The good news is it gave me time to grab some lunch! I was starving! The flight to Roanoke was nice and short and the view was beautiful from the plane. When I got my luggage I was disappointed to find the zippers had been ripped off of my front pocket and there was a small tear. Unfortunately, I didn't know you had to talk to the luggage people immediately. I was tired and just wanted to get settled in. I have officially learned my lesson though. After a long day, I had finally arrived at Lynchburg, Virginia! I was ready to start the week!

Last Day in the Office

    It is our last day in the office and we are all excited to start our journey on the road, but sad to leave each other for such a long time. We are all told to trust our training and believe in ourselves because we are smart, young women who are capable on taking on all of life's challenges. Well, I choose to believe it! I couldn't believe how quickly I bonded with these five amazing women. They are all so intelligent and all have amazing talents. Each woman has taught me something different and I hope to carry those lessons with me on the road. I know we will stay friends for many years, and I couldn't be more excited!

We wore all black to "mourn" our last day together until November.

Sisterhood

    I have been reading the posts on Facebook from my chapter sisters, about their sisterhood and excitement during recruitment. It has brightened my week to hear all of those wonderful things from them! It does make me miss my chapter and wish I could see their bright, beautiful faces, but I have also accepted that I have started a new journey. I will always have their sisterhood and love to support me in my travels and what life has to throw at me. I am such a proud alumna and I hope they continue to stay strong in their sisterhood and remember what the sorority is all about!

See you in October!

Headquarters BBQ

    After FEA Field Staff it was back to work! We started back to office with training, but on Tuesday we held a BBQ for all of the consultants in the Indianapolis area. It was a hit! We had over 100 people attend. It was awesome to get to show off our beautiful headquarters and socialize with the consultants a little more. We even got to meet some consultants who were unable to attend the FEA Field Staff conference. We still didn't have our schedules, but we were able to discuss where the others were visiting. I even got to talk to and Alpha Gamma Delta who is visiting Pittsburg State University! I told her she needs to make sure to hit up the Mall Deli! It is cool to hear who is visiting your college. It was definitely a fun end to July, and a great way to build more relationships.

New Consultant

  And how could I forget our new addition, Jordan! She is a Texas girl who attended school in Arkansas. She has been the perfect piece to our puzzle. She definitely has that southern sass, and has dealt with being thrown into the mix with such poise. And she is my new roomie! Jordan will be working with our colony at Boise State University. She is going to do amazing! (Jordan is the one in the white sweater on the far left)

FEA Field Staff

    FEA Field Staff is a conference put together for leadership consultants from different greek organizations. There were leadership consultants from different fraternities and sororites; some travel all the way from the southern states to attend this conference. There were over 250 consultants present! It was a great way to network and introduce ourselves to other consultants that will be traveling to the same colleges that we are traveling too, and just make new friends in general. We got to listen to some fantastic speakers during the three day conference and to attend some helpful workshops.

Favorites

    Some of my favorite parts of FEA were:

• Learning about social excellence and how to facilitate deep conversations with strangers. Practice makes perfect! I have always know that I am a shy individual and that talking to strangers makes me uncomfortable, but I was able to step outside of my comfort zone a bit and talk to people and get to know them on a different level. I will still need to continue to work on this skill, but I can do it!
• Learning about cliques and bullying. Everyone assumes cliques are bad, but that isn't necessarily true. We develop cliques because we want to surround ourselves with people we are comfortable with, and that is OK. Cliques become harmful when they start to bully.
• Learning the importance of remember someones name and connecting with them. I never thought how important it is to remember someones name. I know that when someone remembers my name that I feel important to them, but I have never thought that others would feel the same. That should have been obvious to me! I now focus on learning names.
• Becoming friends with the Alpha Sigma Tau women. They are amazing women and we were able to create some great bonds while at FEA. We have continued to hang out after FEA and stay in contact!

    I just highlighted my favorite parts of the FEA Field Staff conference. I could spend days talking about all of the information I learned, so I thought I would shorten my entry to just my favorite parts. And it didn't hurt to be surrounded by cute fraternity men :)

Risk Management on the Road

    We were able to attend a conference called Risk Management on the Road this past month. We had some amazing speakers come to talk to us about our upcoming travels and the trails we will encounter. All of the speakers had great messages to share, but there was one that really resonated with me.

Real Beauty

    A woman from Chicago, named Stacey Nadeau, came to share life changing experience with us and remind us that women coming an all shapes and sizes and that is perfectly OK. While Stacey was in college she was scouted to be a model. She thought that was impossible since she is a size 10 and had curvy legs. She decided to go to the model auditions anyways. It turns out, she was being scouted for Dove's "Real Beauty" campaign. This campaign was to change advertising and photo editing forever. They wanted to use women of all shapes, sizes, ages, and ethnicity without editing their images to distort their bodies or faces. This was something that was unheard of in the advertising world, but Stacey was about to be a part of a major change.
   She appeared on TV shows, such as Oprah and the Today Show. They were interviewed and ridiculed, but all of them truly believed in what they were doing. They were changing the image of beauty. They were getting people to talk about what beauty really is and how the media gives women these unrealistic expectations that even movie stars cannot live up to. I wanted to share her message with everyone!
   What Stacey was saying, about insecurity and unrealistic expectations, was something that really hit home for me. I have always felt insecure about my body and have constantly ridiculed myself for not being "perfect". After listening to her speak, I realized it isn't about looking like the women in the magazines or on the billboards, it is about being happy and healthy. It is about eating right and exercising, but understanding that I can enjoy some ice cream every once in a while and not feel guilty. I need to stop "fat talk" and stand to accept who I am. I think that is something that every woman, young and old, should know. That losing that ten pounds to be a size 0 isn't going to make us happy. Another thing is that women need to stop judging each other. We need to help one another in changing the image of beauty to something more realistic. If we judge one another, and expect for women around us to look like models, we will never make change.
   I hope Stacey's message is spread and the Dove campaign continues to be successful in their movement for change. I think every campus should hear her speak! For more information about Stacey and her journey you can follow her on Facebook, Twitter or visit her website: www.staceynadeau.com

Stacey is the woman on the far right. This is the picture that started it all!

National Convention

Day Four

    It is amazing how the sorority is something that women care about for the rest of their lives. During our awards dinner that night, I was able to hear stories of women who have become successful because of the support of their sorority sisters and who were able to over come major obstacles in their lives because the sorority gave them the support and life skills to over come it. I am so proud to say that I am a member of this accepting, generous, and fun organization. I couldn't have picked a better bunch! At the awards banquet, my collegian chapter was awarded the Crown of Excellence Award. I could not be more proud of my chapter sisters and the volunteers that helped them to grow into the wonderful women and chapter that they are today. I know that everyone worked very hard and that my chapter was very blessed! I had a wonderful time while I was there, and I hope the women to follow will love being a part of it as much as I did. After the Convention concluded we packed up and awoke early the next morning to begin our long drive back to Indianapolis. It was an amazing week filled with learning and sisterhood that I am so happy I got to experience!

Dede and Jean: both past national council volunteers and two of the oldest attendees of National Convention. They have been friends for the past 65 years and have attended every National Convention and local sorority event since becoming friends. That is amazing!

National Convention

Day Two

    The philanthropy luncheon was by far the best part of the convention for me. We recently partnered with a new philanthropy, Girls on the Run. The founder of the organization, Molly Barker, came to speak to us and share her story. Her story was very heartfelt and inspirational. Most of the room was left in tears when her speech concluded (I will be posting the video later hopefully). Girls on the Run was started to help young girls build confidence in themselves and show them that they can overcome obstacles to obtain their goals by training together to run a 5K. From the stories we have heard from both volunteers and girl participants, it seems like it truly works. I want to become involved in this after I finish my year as a leadership consultant because I know that as a young girl, even as a young woman, being confident is something I have struggled with. I want other girls to have the resources to overcome their feelings of insecurity and doubt and realize they are capable of greatness. Visit their website: www.girlsontherun.org
    This was also the day we had free time in the evening, so the other leadership consultants and I decided to hit up the beach and a local seafood restaurant. We ate at a restaurant called Tautog's. It was phenomenal! I recommend it to everyone who goes to Virginia Beach. We were accompanied by many volunteers and basically filled half of the restaurant! It was nice to relax and enjoy ourselves.

Day Three

    Today was the day we celebrated the volunteers and their dedication to the organization. I was rewarding to hear the stories of volunteers who have stayed committed for many years. The Red Tie Dinner was a success! I hope that all of the volunteers know that we all appreciate their help!

    We also had the pool party that night. It was awesome to hang out with my chapter sisters for a while. I truly miss my sisters from home! I have never felt like such a celebrity :) . Everyone wanted a picture with me! It was quite the confidence booster! I loved meeting new women and becoming close with them, but I will never forget the support and love that my Eta Eta sisters showed me during my collegiate years. I would have never found the courage to apply for this job and put myself out there if it wasn't for them. I was so happy to converse with them and just catch up like old times. I can't wait until I can see them again in October! I was happy to see Brenda and Andrea as well, two of our chapter advisers. Brenda has shown me what it means to be strong and stand your ground. Andrea has shown me how to stay involved and care. I do miss Sharese too! She showed me how to have spunk :) . The desserts at the pool party were also delicious!

Kirby and I at the pool party

My chapter advisers and my sisters from college with Dot in her bikini :)

National Convention

    I almost don't know where to begin because National Convention was such a crazy week! For those of you who are not aware of what National Convention is, it is a large gathering of collegian and alumnae members of Alpha Sigma Alpha where we make changes to our national bylaws, have educational programs, raise money for philanthropies, and just hang out and get to know one another! The whole week was full of wonderful experiences and meeting wonderful women. I hope to attend every convention after this one until I am 100 years old!

Day One

   The night before we were allowed to meet all of National Council, the Foundation Board of Trustees, and the Convention Committee to pick their brains and hear amazing stories about their own personal experiences. I can only hope that someday I will be able to volunteer my time to Alpha Sigma Alpha and make such a difference in women's lives as these intelligent women have.
   The actual first day of Convention was exciting and "action packed". The other consultants and I started our morning off at 7 AM with a photo shoot! It was a lot of fun; I felt like a model :) Unfortunately it was very muggy out and even started raining during the shoot. Every one's hair slowly began to poof as the day continued on. We did the photo shoot until 12 PM. I was a long morning but it was a lot of fun! Here are some of the lovely pictures we took:

Apparently my face looks really funny in this one...

This is my favorite one

    I didn't add the one of us jumping outside in front of a brick wall, but it was quite hilarious because I was standing right under a drip from the rain and large amounts of water were falling right on my forehead as he was taking the picture.

    Many volunteers and staff members were able to attend pre-conference workshops. We were blessed in being able to attend the workshop for the volunteers at different levels. A wonderful speaker, Ginny Carroll, ran the workshop and really opened my eyes to the generational differences. It was very interesting hearing how other generations view my generation, which I am considered a millennial, and how my views about their generations had changed. I always assumed that older generations didn't understand my generation, without thinking that I should take the time to understand their generation. I never thought that older generations don't appreciate the communication that I appreciate. I prefer communicating through technology, while they appreciate a phone call or a handwritten letter. I am very glad that I was able to learn from this experience. There were moments when my feelings were a little hurt because older generations do view my generation as lazy or that we feel entitled, but I can't blame them. Many of their accusations were correct. But I hope someday to prove that my generation is going to be the generation to change the world (words of Ginny Carroll). I truly hope she is right, as long as the change is for the better.

  After opening remarks had been made and the Convention was officially in motion, we were able to attend a tea party! Everyone looked adorable in their dresses and tea time hats!

The consultants with Dot the Ladybug in her tea party outfit

Week One

Time in the Office

    The first week of work was fantastic, but definitely a little bit of an information overload. We each got our own desks and are able to decorate them the way we want (so if you want to send pictures or notes :] ). We were assigned our own laptops to take with us on the road, and we jumped into learning policies the very first day! We also spent a lot of time preparing for National Convention, which was in Virginia Beach. We spent hours stuffing packets for attendees and getting their registrations bags ready. We had Wednesday off for the Fourth of July and attended a BBQ at the Alpha Kappa Lambda fraternity headquarters. The leadership consultants from that fraternity were in attendance, so we were able to chat with them about their college experiences and what they are looking forward to on the road. One of them is actually from Kansas too! Thursday was back to work! Friday was spent the day loading up the truck that was taking everything to Virginia Beach for the National Convention. Of course that had to be a super hot day! We were all exhausted afterwards, but excited for Convention!

Hanging with the Girls

    On Friday we were all exhausted and headed home. We felt very lame, but it was nice to relax and go to bed early. The next morning we woke up early for breakfast and then went on a wild goose chase to find everyone's bank. It was quite interesting! We drove around town following our GPS and Google Map findings of Jenn's bank, only to find that her bank isn't in Indiana! After finally coming to this realization we headed to downtown Indianapolis to hit the mall and meet up with two other staff members, Shannon and Rachel. Shannon is in charge of the Alpha Sigma Alpha Foundation, which is a foundation tied with the sorority that raises funds to put on leadership workshops for collegian members and give scholarships to sorority women. Rachel is our Alumnae and Volunteer Coordinator. She keeps alumnae records up to date and helps volunteers to help collegian members. The mall was amazing! I wish we had malls like this in Kansas! We had a great time shopping for blazers and white shoes for Convention. It was very nice to have a day out with the girls and get to know Suzanne, Jenn, Stephanie, and Melissa better.
    I will admit that before I arrived in Indianapolis I was so worried about how the other Leadership Consultants and I would mesh. I am a more reserved person and I was afraid it was going to take us a long time to bond. Lucky for me, I was wrong! Jenn and Melissa are "chatty Cathys." This was great for me because they would start conversation about anything and everything. They could talk for hours if you let them :) . Jenn is the nicest woman I have ever met. She has a strong faith and is so humble, even though she deserves credit and praise for all of the wonderful things she has done. Melissa has a great sense of humor and she is extremely intelligent. She has great common sense and seems to be able to deal with life situations with ease. Stephanie and Suzanna are a little more reserved but still amazing women (I will talk more about them next blog). I love hanging out with all of them. I have a good feeling that we are going to stay friends for a long time.

Other Thoughts...

    I will admit that time has flown by, but I still have had my moments of missing home and missing my friends and family. I think the hardest thing for me so far has been the thought that I am missing out on my sister starting her first year in middle school. I always wanted to be that older sister who took my sister shopping for back-to-school clothes, was there to talk about problems with friends and the boys she likes. I know that I will only be away for one year, and we can always talk on the phone, but it's just not the same. I hope she understands that I wish I could be there more than anything, but that this job is also very important to me. I have even missed my two troublesome brothers while here :) .

Just some questions I have been pondering on:

-What do I want to do after I have completed my year as a Leadership Consultant?
-Why has God given us the roles in life and put us through the difficult situations we have experienced? What were we meant to learn from these things?

 

Suzanne, Stephanie, Me, Jenn and Melissa in front of Alpha Sigma Alpha National Headquarters before we began packing

 

What is my job?

Job Description

    This year I have been very blessed to be given the position of Leadership Consultant for my sorority, Alpha Sigma Alpha. Many of you are probably wondering what this position consists of, so I thought in my first post I would explain what I will be doing while on the road. I was one of 6 chosen from applications around the nation. We are a smaller organization but still consist of 86 chapters around the country. We are also looking to expand and adding 2 new chapters this year, those are called colonies. In my position I will be sent to the colonies to help teach these new women about Alpha Sigma Alpha and the national Greek council, Panhellenic. They will learn our rules and about our rituals, core values, standards, and recruitment expectations. I will also be traveling to college campuses with chapters that are over a year old, but are having problems and need help to get back on track. Other chapters that I will visit are a year old or younger, and therefore just need a check up to make sure that things are going smoothly. I will submit reports to our National Headquarters after each visit and travel every weekend to a new location, or possibly return to a chapter I was previously visiting to work on some new items.

New Experiences

   I have the great opportunity to meet intelligent and accomplished alumnae who volunteer for the organization, along with bright and energetic collegians who are still active members in the sorority. I am very excited to "see the world" (or the states) and learn more about myself along the way. There have been many great women before me who have had this position and they have continued on as very active volunteers who continue to make a difference in the organization. I can only hope to be as inspirational as they have all been. I am honored to represent my sorority and I hope to do the best job that I can. Everyone wish me luck!

Me, Stephanie, Jenn, and Melissa (Suzanne had to go to a wedding) This is the four of us at our National Convention in Virginia Beach during our Awards banquet