I shared with my soror the411 via e-mail that I liked this post. About a month ago I was going to share my reasons for seeking Delta but got so wrapped up in school work, but what better opportunity...
In high school, I was in everything except being a cheerleader (was a little on the chunky side)
and so being a student leader gave me a chance to get to know many of my teachers and others on a more personal level. I begin to realize that there was something about the majority of my female teachers that I grew to love and that was they were heavily involved in the community and I later found out that they were members of some big organization called Delta Sigma Theta.
Like the411, when I was a senior I was awarded a scholarship, the Glenda Hardin Scholarship for $500. But unlike my soror, the local collegiate chapter at then Memphis State University, Epsilon Kappa Chapter, gave me the scholarship. I was thrilled. I had to write an essay, go through a panel interview, and I had to show where I was involved in public service. I didn't know any of those Deltas that interviewed me so, though I left the interview confident, I was still nervous because I thought it was "who you know".
When I got the letter dated April 27, 1987 that they were proud to inform me that I had been selected as one of two recipients...I cried. I knew that that $500 would pay half of my tuition or pay for books because I came from a family of 6 siblings, 3 mentally handicapped brothers, and only one other was in college...and I knew I had to rely on grants and scholarships. Ya'll I still have that letter...I'm looking at it right now.
The Deltas held a special place in my HEART then and still today. Their giving hearts benefited me greatly. My mother knows that and she is graduating Dec. 16 from that same school whose Delta chapter gave her daughter $500 over 12 years ago. My mother recently shared that she wants to pledge Delta. It would have been awesome if she did it through Epsilon Kappa but she's 51 and said she would rather wait...LOL...I told her to got for it.
It just wasn't there for me as an undergraduate student, but I don't regret it for one moment that I went through an alumnae chapter April 29, 1999.
Anyway, that's part of my story and my testimony because there are a number of reasons why I sought Delta. I can honestly say the going to parties and wanting to "belong" wasn't one of them.
------------------
Director #2
LMAC
Spr 99
[This message has been edited by DirectorDST99 (edited October 06, 2000).]