My experience as a new AI has been wonderful, but may be a bit different than some AI's. I have the good fortune of working for the college (Florida Tech) where I am being initiated with the Fall 2005 new member class. A number of the sisters come by my office to say hello and chat and I was asked to attend the new member meetings with the rest of the NM's.
By going to the NM meetings, I have gotten to know them much better than I would have if I were just solely involved with the Alumnae Chapter. It's been through these NM meetings that I have learned more of the history, songs, interworkings of the chapter which in turn has led the sisters to recently ask me to be their campus advisor (each campus organization must have a faculty or staff member for an advisor). I'm thrilled, because not only does it allows me an opportunity to be involved on an alumnae level, but it really gives me a connection to my school where I was once a student, am a current employee and will be a soon initiated Gamma Phi Beta.
It's not like I'm going to start going to their mixers or anything (even at age 33, I do feel old sometimes), but the whole reason I want to be a Gamma Phi is to really celebrate our sisterhood and do as much as I can for them as an AI. My sponsor, Coleen, is the Chapter Advisor for the collegians (she was the former chapter President a number of years back), so it's great that I can learn from her and make her proud for sponsoring me!
