Goodbye Riverside (But see you again soon!)

I’m spending the day packing in preparation of leaving Riverside tomorrow morning. Although it’s not the officially end to my consultant year, today is definitely bittersweet.

I could go on and on about my last three and a half months in Riverside, California. From colony marketing to colony recruitment week and bid day, fast forward to Initiation and Installation, I have had many busy weeks as a colony consultant. This experience has not only allowed me to be a part of building a chapter from the ground up, but it has thrust me out of my comfort zone.

I’ve explored the unfamiliar: Los Angeles to San Diego. I’ve checked Riverside and Southern California must-sees off my list and even had time to go to Disneyland. Twice.

I came to Riverside not knowing a single person and walk away not only with 100 plus new sisters, but also countless new friendships. That’s why I don’t think I am as sad as I should be saying goodbye ­– I know it’s far from the end, and I cannot wait to cheer all these special people on from the East Coast.

Not to overuse a cliché, but all good things must come to an end: This “end” allows us to move forward, change, develop and strengthen. As I move forward into a new career, our new chapter at UCR will strengthen as they experience their first formal recruitment and new member class.

Thank you Theta Omega for giving me the best experience and being the best colony (I am totally biased). You have staked your claim as the funniest set of sisters I have encountered, but you’re also among those most passionate and driven.

By knowing you, my life has been “enriched by true friendships”. Honestly, y’all rock.

Thank you University of California Riverside and Southern California for being a pretty great final stop and definitely a place I will always feel at home.

One Hundred and Fifty-Five.

Fifteen Days: Officer Elections, Pillars Week, Diamond Dash, Last Colony Meeting, Sports Week, Officer Training, Diamond Days, Initiation, Installation, Officer Transition Workshop, Two Recruitment Workshops & First/Last Chapter Meeting.

Needless to say, it’s been a busy last half of May in Riverside! The colony elected their first officer class, and those women have been working hard on their training before the summer months start. The colony also participated in their first Pillars Week and Sports Week within the Fraternity Sorority Community.

Perhaps the most exciting (and the busiest) week was Diamond Days. The charter members took time on the night before their Initiation to do a Sister Share, where they each shared their favorite ADPi memory. I loved hearing what mean the most to them in the past eight weeks.

Saturday, May 30th was Initiation and Installation Day! We welcome 107 sisters into Delta membership and the 155th active chapter of Alpha Delta Pi was installed as the Theta Omega chapter. The weekend brought lots of friendly faces back to Riverside, including our fabulous installation team! At times it was chaotic, but it was one of my favorite Alpha Delta Pi memories to date. The realization (and the waterworks) hit when our charter members were singing two of the most perfect ADPi Song: “Pass It On” and “Home” by Phillip Phillips. It was incredible to see how far this colony, and now chapter, has come in eight weeks and how it has brought the most incredible new sisters into my life. I thank my lucky stars that I was choose to help colonize at UCR!

After the excitment of the night, we still weren’t quite finished for the quarter! We held Officer Transition Workshop the morning after, along with a Recruitment Workshop facilitated by the Remarkable Rebecca Gentry that night. The jam-packed schedule was worth it to end the quarter talking about who this chapter is, where they are and where they are going!

I also loved having my fellow consultant sisters close throughout these crazy two weeks! I am so thankful for their constant love and support, along with all the amazing things that they have done for Theta Omega!

It’s not quite goodbye to Riverside! I will be here until I fly to Arizonia for Grand Convention. For now, it’s wrap-up officer meetings and recruitment prep for the next few weeks (along with enjoying my remaining time in Sunny California!).

Riverside, Recruitment, Retreat, Relax

It’s been a busy past few weeks in Riverside! When I returned to CA, preparations for colony recruitment at UCR shifted into high gear. Before we knew it, our colonization team was arriving in Riverside ready to meet the women who would become our future sisters. The week consisted of a Blue and White Information Night, Philanthropy Night and interviews. I loved colony recruitment week – Not only because we got to welcome home new sisters, but also because of the time spent with current sisters. I enjoyed spending time with our colonization team, meeting local alumnae sisters and meeting our collegians from UCLA, Cal State Fullerton and UC Santa Barbara.

Then it was finally UCR Bid Day! We welcomed home 109 new sisters and from there we’ve hit the ground running! Their first week as Alphas included their first colony meeting, a 19ADPi Skate Night and Colony Retreat.

During the last couple weeks, I’ve also had some more time to enjoy Southern California. Our consultant sisters’ spring break to California gave us the perfect excuses for trips to Newport, Fashion Island, Laguna Beach and the much anticipated trip to Disneyland! It was the most perfect way to spend the Easter Weekend!

This past week, UCR has another visitor – Our New Chapter Specialist, Anna Kate, came to introduce herself to our colony members and led our first sisterhood photo shoot! I always love spending time with someone who I consider to be an ADPi Mentor of sorts. Thanks Anna Kate for everything that you do for our new chapters!

April has been full of new experiences for me: new friendships, new facets of being a Leadership Consultant and new colony fun! I love being around a large group of sisters who are experiencing Alpha Delta Pi for the first time – I wish I could bottle their enthusiasm and share it with any sisters who may need a reminder of what that new member experience is like. It is love of our sisterhood in the rawest form, and it makes me fall in love with our organization all over again.

What’s next? I’m heading back to South Carolina for another long weekend and my last time before I finish this job! After that, it’s back to Riverside for more colony meetings, sisterhood events, socials and most importantly, preparing our colony members to be initiated and installed as the Theta Omega Chapter of Alpha Delta Pi!

From Palm Trees to the Palmetto State

March has flown by in a whirl of activity leading up to Colony Recruitment at the University of California, Riverside! We spent the first three weeks of the month marketing, tabling on campus and meeting with potential new members. I continued to be amazed at the caliber of women who make up this campus, and I cannot wait to meet our new members in early April! The Panhellenic women have continued to support our colonization efforts in a way that truly lives out the National Panhellenic Creed, which states, “Cooperation for furthering fraternity life, in harmony with its best possibilities, is the ideal that shall guide our fraternity activities.”

I’ve also taken a little bit of time to enjoy Riverside, from a couple hours laying by the pool to checking out some local stores to watching the new Cinderella movie (I highly recommend it if you haven’t seen it yet!). I even checked “Hike the C” off my Riverside list. The rumor is if you hike up to the C and kiss it, you’ll get A’s for that quarter. The added bonus is that you get an incredible view of Riverside!

This past weekend, I packed my bags and headed east! It was great to be home in South Carolina to see family and friends. In true LC fashion, I wasn’t in one place for very long: I drove up to Charlotte to reunite with fellow traveler Kathryn. Nothing beats sushi, shopping and life talk with a best friend!

The next day, I drove down to Atlanta to grab Hannah before we trekked to Mussel Shoals, Alabama for our chapter sister and best friend Molly’s wedding. I can’t describe how wonderful it is to be back together in the same city with the friends that are each pursuing their own life paths. I am ever so grateful for Alpha Delta Pi on these days because without ADPi, I would have never met these and so many other sisters who play a crucial role in my life. From there, it was back to Greenville to enjoy one last day of break!

What’s next? I’m anxious to get back to the west coast and to welcome home those new Alpha members at UCR.

From Starkville to Southern California

After my February break in Charleston, I headed back to Mississippi State University for my last regular chapter visit of the year. During my fourth and final visit to Starkville, I was able to meet with officers who have been settling into their new positions in Epsilon Eta Chapter. I also got the chance to experience my first actual snow days as a consultant!

I rounded out the week with the chapter’s spring sisterhood retreat where I facilitated a workshop on branding and image! Afterwards, I went with a couple sisters to help prepare for a gala event benefitting a local orphanage. The next day I said my goodbyes to Mississippi and hopped on my plane en route to California!

My first week in town at the University of California Riverside has been wonderful! I have started settling into my apartment and have met some of the most fantastic Panhellenic women that I have come across during my travels. They have been invaluable to our marketing and recruitment efforts this week and are so supportive of Alpha Delta Pi colonizing at UCR! The Panhellenic, IFC, FSIC and campus community as a whole have been so welcoming to ADPi. My consultant sister Paola arrived mid-week, and we have been tabling and meeting women on campus each day in anticipation of colony recruitment week at the end of March.

I closed out my first week by celebrating my 23rd birthday! Thank you to all my family, friends, Alpha Delta Pi sisters and new UCR friends who made March 6th an incredible day. I have been beyond blessed for an unbeatable support system and an incredible life thus far!