my alma mater

I get asked many questions on the road...

Where are you from? What's ADPi like at your school? What positions did you hold? Do you have a boyfriend? Is that hard? Why do you have so much stuff for a week? Oh, you really live out of those suitcases? What did you study? So, is this your only job? Are you going to do this forever? Do you know the other consultants? Are you going to come back & visit us? What's your favorite chapter? Are we your favorite chapter?

But, there's one question that always sticks out above the rest:

[sister] Where did you go to school? [me] Virginia Tech! [sister] Oh... So, were you there for the shooting?

It gets me every. single. time.

On April 16, 2007, I sat down at the dinner table with my parents & younger brother as I did every night growing up. My dad looked at me and asked what I thought was the craziest, most absurd question anyone could ever ask:

[dad] So, do you still want to go to Virginia Tech? [me] You bet.

You know, Virginia Tech is an amazing school home, and it just burns me up that people don't think of more than that day when they hear its name.

Michele Obama couldn't have said it better.

Want to know something else? U.S. News & World Report ranks Virginia Tech #28 out of all public universities in the nation, Southern Living listed it as one of the Best College Towns in the South, and the Princeton Review ranks Virginia Tech second in the nation for Best Campus Food.

Oh, and let's have a little chat about Hokie football. I cried about graduating when I watched a trailer for the 2012 football season that came out last spring; Virginia Tech football is serious. In fact, Lane Stadium is considered to be one of the loudest stadiums in the country and has been dubbed the most exciting entrance in college football.

So, next time you have the privilege of meeting a Hokie, I hope you think about what an incredible place Virginia Tech is & how unbelievably silly you were to not go there.

And that, ladies & gents...

that's what it's all about.

 

Posted with Blogsy

a lost generation

"This generation thinks they're so entitled..."

I was given my first cell phone my freshman year of high school, a new car when I was 16, and an iPad when I graduated from college. So, okay - I can see why people say that, especially when I think about my special Grandpa who, to this day, never ever leaves any food on his plate & scolds me when I do because he knows what it's like to live through the Great Depression with five brothers and three sisters; his momma had so little to spend on groceries each week, and sometimes, she'd have to put some groceries back just to sneak them one candy bar to share amongst the nine of them. To this day, when he talks about his momma, you'd think he was talking about a queen. He loves that lady. When I sit here and think about it all, I feel disgustingly spoiled.

With everything that's been in the news recently, it's safe to say something's gotta give. When I applied to be a Leadership Consultant, the essay I wrote about why I wanted this job was all about empowerment. Throughout my whole life, people have empowered me to make a difference, and so now, it's my turn to empower others it's our turn, as the so-called entitled generation, to hold each other accountable.

Consider this your call-to-action:

Now, go do something & make a difference in this world, be the positive change our country is screaming for, or better yet

refuse to be part of a lost generation.

 

Posted with Blogsy

santa clara panhellenic

Yes, I have been on a blogging hiatus...

But let me tell ya something, I've been a tad bit preoccupied. Starting a colony is no cake walk, but it certainly has a sweet ending.

welcome home, alphas!

I just can't help but wonder who the consultants were that brought Alpha Delta Pi to Virginia Tech. I never really thought about it until I became a consultant given the honor to help give the gift of ADPi to another Panhellenic community. You know, when I took this job, I had mixed feelings about being a part of a colony experience - it was foreign to me, and the unknown is scary. Would I be good at it, or would I fail? Did I have the necessary skills to start something incredible out of nothing? Well, in the off-chance that the consultant who started Eta Pi chapter at Virginia Tech is reading this, I want to say

thank you

Thank you for taking a chance on us. Without you, I wouldn't be an Alpha Delta Pi, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Without you, I wouldn't have the opportunity to help start the colony at Santa Clara Panhellenic, and only God knows what ADPi will bring those women.

yay! so glad to have you both.

Speaking of those women, they are nothing short of incredible. Hearing what they've accomplished in just two or three years of college far outshines anything I could ever imagine a college student being capable of. I mean, get this: one of the Alphas interned for Parliament. Yes, Parliament. These women are such go-getters, and let me tell ya, that chapter is going to do big things. So, watch out ADPi World!

I cannot wait to head back to Santa Clara for their initiation & installation. I'm almost more excited for that than Christmas, and if you know me, that's saying a lot. I can't wait to see & hear about all the amazing things they're doing! And, to see Ms. Pinkston hand the very first Theta Pi Chapter President her gavel - that'll be a moment all of us involved with that colony will never forget.

 

Posted with Blogsy

georgia southern university

Yep, this is it...

Here we go. This is the start of my whirlwind adventure across the good 'ol US of A. Where was I lucky enough to start this jet-setting journey? Epsilon Pi chapter at Georgia Southern University! Well, it was sort of the start to my jet-setting journey... I had the treat of road trippin' it here with sweet Ms. Mathews, International VP of Collegiate Membership, since she lives right here in Statesboro, GA & this just happens to be her chapter of initiation (no pressure, right? riiight). Apparently, it's not a road trip with Ms. Mathews if you don't stop at Starbucks (She'll take a venti iced coffee black... me? I'll have a tall skinny vanilla latte.) & this cute little bakery in Macon for a delicious lemon cupcake. Can't complain about those pit stops, can ya? Nope.

We turn on to Olympic Blvd., and it looks just as regal as its name sounds: huge brick mansions complete with traditional white columns, rocking chairs on every porch, and each house topped off with their Greek letters. Yes ma'am, this is the south the south in full swing for recruitment.

the white house... well, sort of.

Almost as soon as I walked into the ADPi house (and yes - it's the most beautiful house on the row), I was greeted with a warm smile from Miss Annalee, chapter president; if I had half her energy, I'd be set. This girl is the definition of a go-getter. You know, actually, this chapter is full of go-getters & I learned quite a bit from these women.

You want to talk about a sisterhood? Mk. Let's chat about Epsilon Pi. I met the most amazing unforgettable inspiring remarkable phenomenal sister while I was there. God works in the craziest ways, and man oh man did He do something crazy while I was there. Turns out, this sister has been in remission since December from Stage IV Hodgkin's Lymphoma, and God blessed me with the opportunity to live with and learn from her the entire time I was there. You talk about some pillow talk that makes ya step back & take a look at your life: this was it. This chapter never thought twice about rallying around our sister to help her out in any way possible, everything from visits to texts to phone calls to fundraisers - Epsilon Pi was there.

They say one of the greatest aspects of being an Alpha Delta Pi sister is that when you meet another sister, you automatically share that special bond of sisterhood. If I didn't already know that, I certainly do now. Not only was this chapter there for her, but a very special sister from Theta Kappa chapter at Florida Atlantic University was there, too. Turns out, she was in remission from Leukemia, and she knew just how to help. She gave advice on what to eat when she had no appetite, what medicines to take for nausea, and what to do during treatments to keep her mind off of it all. That's just the surface of their special story. This sister defines our motto:

We live for each other.

My time at Georgia Southern ended with the best shebang known to sorority women: BID DAY. If you haven't ever been to a bid day in the south, go. It's quite a treat. Loud music, Chick-Fil-A, dance parties on the front lawn... What more could a girl ask for? Oh, right. Cup cakes. Yes, they have those, too, complete with lion decorations.

it's hard to be humble when you're queen of the jungle

Well, that's a wrap! Its been real Georgia. Until next time...

 

Posted with Blogsy