Last Days in Indianapolis

On Saturday, we finished up our last day at Headquarters and wow, what an experience this all has been!  It’s sad to leave the office staff after finally just getting to know them, and I foresee it being difficult to continue to feel a part of the office while not maintaining a presence there.  The days will be long and sometimes the travel will be not-so-pretty, but this job will be a great experience.  I can confidently say that because I trust the Headquarters staff has us under their wing.  Not that we are completely and hopelessly dependent, but it is clear that while we are on the road, we’ll need support from those in the office.  And over the past few weeks, I’ve gained complete trust and feel the backing from those at Headquarters.

I’ve also gained a sense of confidence in my ability to perform the duties of the job, which I sometimes (ha, if you know me, you know which adverb to insert here) lack.  But now that we’ve gone through three weeks of training, I am able to own it.  Having this confirmation of things I knew and, in many cases, correction of things I thought I knew about Alpha Sigma Tau make it a whole lot easier for me to move forward confidently.  Sometimes all it takes is affirmation.  

Friday, our last weekday in the office, was a wrap-up day.  A portion of the day was spent having a photo shoot with the consultants for pictures and videos for the website, Facebook page, and correspondence with our chapters.  When I was an active member, I think it would have been nice to see and hear the visiting consultant before the visit; it might have made it a little less overwhelming.  Emily and Megan were wonderful when it was action time! Emily is so poised and Megan is so personable—these traits are truly conveyed across the video.  My video? Well, it took probably five shots and one much needed brief escape to become calm and collected.  Once the videos were made and posted, the chats around the office sounded like, “Megan looks eager to meet the chapters!” “Emily sounds so nice!” “Justina looks like she’s going to throw up!” Not exactly true, but a fair assumption and good observation. I bet Tina Fey felt the same way at some point in time. Being in front of a recording camera in a serious way is almost foreign to me… maybe that’s why this task was such a challenge! I’m just glad it’s over. Phew, now I can sleep at night knowing this has already been filmed.

On Saturday, we alumnae affiliated a woman who was looking into joining a sorority for over a year.  She never joined a National Panhellenic Conference sorority while she was in school but felt Alpha Sigma Tau was a perfect fit for her.  She did her research and then reached out to us-- what an honor!  It was really delightful getting to know her and being someone to help welcome her into the organization.

Before Saturday I hadn’t attended a Ritual since December, and I have to say, I've missed it. I try my hardest to live it every day, and I know what goes on in the ceremony, but it's just not the same.  I missed having it all out in the open to see. Ritual is the most special part of a values-based organization. It’s what separates us from the others, and it’s what brings together our chapters with different dynamics.  Our personalities might not mesh, but we’re all built upon the same values. Our Ritual connects us together. It's what our founding members created and agreed upon when forming this organization, and it's what is still alive and running through every chapter 100+ years later. Ah, I'm getting goosebumps... love it! 

Saturday night was a good time. We all got to know each other a little more before parting ways on Sunday. Many thanks to Allison from Headquarters who drove Megan and me to the airport at 5:10 a.m. after we all went to sleep at 2:00 a.m. (yay for bonding time!) and to my friend Faith for picking me up in Pittsburgh in the afternoon.  Now it’s time to get my stuff together and then hit the road!