Hi sisters! My name is Lexi Fata and I am from the Beta Eta Chapter at the University of Michigan. Over this past year, I have been honored to serve as Beta Eta’s Chapter President. To begin my term as Chapter President, I was lucky enough to attend Alpha Delta Pi’s signature leadership program, Adelphean Compass. As a new Chapter President, I was so eager to get started and learn how to better myself as a leader and individual. As the new Chapter Presidents and Officers are preparing to attend Adelphean Compass, I would like to share my experiences I had with you and what made this weekend so great for me.
I was surrounded by 100+ women, who were just like me!
As a new Chapter President or Officer, you most likely are only a month or so into your new role in your chapter. But guess what? 100+ other women have also just started in their new roles, too! Take this time to lean on each other and learn from the experiences you have already had and yet to have. Take the time to get to know every sister around you, whether that be in your sessions, meals, the hallways or your roommate! You can learn a lot from each other just by asking and listening, and what better time to do it than at Adelphean Compass? You are learning together and becoming stronger individuals while being surrounded by women who share our sisterhood!
I heard more about other chapters and made connections with those chapters!
While being at Adelphean Compass, I was able to better learn about other chapters all over the US and Canada. You will have the opportunity to break out into smaller groups and talk about both the sessions you are attending, and your own chapter experiences. Take advantage of this time as you will have 10+ other women and an awesome facilitator to talk to and ask questions of. Stay engaged in these small groups, and take notes if you want to help you better remember what you talk about. This small group will be there for you throughout the weekend and beyond. Make a group chat and use each other for support throughout this next year and beyond.
I discovered more about why I wanted to be my chapter’s President.
When I was at Adelphean Compass, I took the time to reflect on why I wanted to become the President of my chapter. While I clearly had ideas before this weekend, I believe that it truly became apparent to me when I was there. I believe that this one quote that was shared with us over the weekend sums it up for me. That quote was:
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more & become more, YOU ARE A LEADER” – John Quincy Adams
As I learned over the weekend, I wanted to be a chapter leader that inspired others and pushed others to be better individuals. I also wanted to be a change agent for both my chapter and other chapters. This quote motivated me throughout the year and it is something that I could reflect on many times.
I learned how to listen, in more than one way!
In reflecting on my past year as Chapter President, one of the most important skills to learn is how to listen, to both yourself and others around you. I know that it sounds silly to say that I learned how to listen, but it is truly a skill that can always be improved and this weekend helped me improve it. We engaged in an activity that taught us how to listen with our head, heart and gut. I do not want to give too much away if you will be attending Adelphean Compass, but this activity pushed me to be a better active listener. Not only will you learn how to listen to others, you also will learn how to listen to yourself over this next year.
And last but not least, I felt more empowered and confident than ever before to lead my chapter to the best of my ability.
Over this weekend, you will learn more of what it means to be a leader, both within your chapter and outside of your chapter. After leaving Adelphean Compass, I felt more than ready to take on my officer role in my chapter. This weekend taught me truly how to feel comfortable in my role as a leader and taught me how to lead with four things in mind, self, vision, action and relationships. I was so excited that I was able to go back and share what I learned with my chapter and lead more confidently and passionately.
Sisters, get ready for a weekend that you will never forget! Make sure you participate in all that you can, meet a ton of new sisters and have fun! I hope all that attend enjoy it as much as I did!