By -Caroline Greenhalgh, Iota Delta – Sewanee: The University of the South
Over the last weekend I had the amazing opportunity to attend the 2018 Alpha Delta Pi Leadership Seminar. Over the duration of the conference, I was able to make lifelong connections with sisters across the United States and Canada. My Pride Group served as an inspiration on how to navigate small chapter and campuses sizes. The Jan Alexander Maisch Leadership Fund provided the registration fee for me to attend, and I will forever be grateful.
As Sister Zoe said in one group session, “We not only live for each other,
but also learn from each other.” To me this statement embodies what sorority
is, and more personally, what it is to be a sister of Alpha Delta Pi. Yes, we live for
each other—always growing and serving within our communities—but to achieve
meaningful service and develop as individuals we must step back and learn
from those around us. For the first time as a member of Alpha Delta Pi, I was able to learn
from my sisters around me white at the conference. As each sister shared her
experience with recruitment, alumni relations, and philanthropy, I became
more inspired to energize my sisters on the Domain. At Sewanee, there are no
better models of how to live out my, newly defined and strengthened, values
than my sisters in Iota Delta.
My experience at the Leadership Conference empowered me to act as a
leader on my campus and within my chapter. On campus, I have a new
blueprint on how to lead with my strengths. Promoting positive thought that
focuses on what we do well instead of emphasizing weakness. With the unique
challenges Iota Delta faces in growing on our campus, I am now more confident
in my ability to visualize with them where we want to go as a chapter. First by
establishing our identity as a chapter, and then by strengthening our bond
around our shared values. Greek life at Sewanee has a very local scope, and
until this experience, I had not grasped how meaningful it is to be in an
international organization. What sets us apart from local organizations is our
commitment to our values: “Alpha Delta Pi being more than a ritual or a
symbol, but a way of life.”
-Caroline Greenhalgh, Iota Delta – Sewanee: The University of the South