Pi Chapter officers at Officer Academy

I am Camryn Schultz, and I joined Alpha Delta Pi in 2021 at Pi Chapter at Iowa State University. I am a sophomore studying Animal Science, specifically animal production and meat sciences. During my freshman year, I served as our Chapter Foundation Ambassador, and this year, I was elected Vice President of Member Development (VPMD).

I could not contain my excitement when I learned I would be attending Officer Academy. I was newly elected as VPMD, and most know how daunting this position can be. I had high hopes of bringing new and fresh ideas to my chapter and “rebranding” the VPMD position. I was so excited to get insight from other ADPi chapters that I could bring back to my own.

One of my favorite aspects of the weekend was that we met primarily with women from other chapters who were serving in the same officer position. I was forced out of comfort zone to meet new people who I could relate to deeply. I also loved the roundtable sessions because I got to choose very specific topics that applied to my chapter’s unique challenges and situations. I learned so much from attending these sessions; I walked into these sessions facing challenges that I thought were just a big deal to my chapter and met sisters from different chapters who had already dealt with something similar and now were willing to help me find a solution.

My favorite part of the weekend was learning Executive Office staff’s perspective on how to handle standards situations that may arise. Due to Covid, we have not met in-person as a chapter in three years. It was refreshing to learn from women who know our positions inside and out, and the amount of wisdom that comes from it was incredibly beneficial. By attending Officer Academy, I grew as a leader in ways I did not expect as I learned how to have tough and honest conversations with the other VPMDs. I also learned how to be slow to speak and quick to listen. So much information came out of the weekend that I couldn’t help but listen and write every word down.

The Alpha Delta Pi Foundation has a special place in my heart as it gave me my first leadership role in ADPi and many connections with the Foundation. Officer Academy can be added to the long list of positive impacts the Foundation has had on my chapter. I grew so much as VP of Member Development and will never forget the friendships and role models it has given me.

Officer Academy was made available in part by the Alpha Delta Pi Foundation. Gifts to the Foundation’s Annual Fund ensure more programs like this are available to all Alpha Delta Pi members. For more information or to make a gift to the Alpha Delta Pi Foundation, please visit alphadeltapi.org/foundation/give.