Quote:
Originally Posted by gatordeltapgh
As I continue my alumnae journey and maybe because I'm getting older (eeekk), it has become a bit more heartbreaking to see that sometimes the young women who need the sorority experience the most are the ones that sometimes get left behind.
When I think of the collective power our NPC groups (and the other councils too) have to transform the lives of young women I am in awe.
I have advised that young woman who was shy and watched her find confidence in herself and her abilities. I've also advised that top of the class go getter and watched her accelerate the pace at which she achieved her goals.
In reality, while we all want to have strong successful chapters (however we define success), those other chapters might be exemplifying the values of our founders a bit more deeply by providing a meaningful and potentially transformative experience to those needing it most.
There is room for everyone if we could break free of the need to all be the best at all times. Hard concept for many 18-22 year olds, hard concept for many adults.
For me if you have a chapter of debutantes - rock on! If you have a chapter of future computer programmers - excellent! If you have a chapter with both - magical!
At the end of the day when we live our values and mission, we the sorority women of the world are transforming lives and promoting the best of the sorority experience together!
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I’m going to make this about me for a minute. :-D
I was one of those shy, sheltered girls. Too many people in my HS didn’t realize I had grown and changed since 7th grade. Or maybe I was just a flavor they didn’t care for. At any rate, you could count the number of dates I’d been on and parties I attended on one hand.
When I got to college it was a wonderful new start. There was a great mix of girls on my dorm floor and I felt liked and accepted without trying too hard or pretending I was someone I was not. That year before I pledged a sorority helped me to grow and be confident about my choices.
However - if I had been thrown into sorority rush at our school before even having a class or meeting people, I’m sure all I would have cared about is “which sorority will make me popular?” whether it was a fit for me or not. And if I had been rejected from that chapter, it would have just been further confirmation to me that I was a geek who was never going to have a social life - even if I had met other chapters who had liked me as I was.
It’s easy to look from our vantage point and tell girls to give a chapter a chance. It’s harder if you jump back into your own 17-18 year old self.