Last weekend, I went to Dallas for the Collegiate Leadership Conference for my sorority, Delta Delta Delta. After a plane ride first to Minneapolis, and a longer flight south, we made it to fifty-five degrees and sunny. Coming from Iowa (where a blizzard was projected for the weekend.) It was nice to get away. I was excited to attend this conference, as this would be the first event I would attend spanning further than my Delta chapter. I have been a part of Tri Delta since the beginning of my freshman year, and although I have a cousin in another Tri Delta chapter, I never really thought about the big picture.

I love the bond I share with my sisters and the sisterhood all of us share. In a chapter of about fifty women, I do not realize the thousands of sisters I have in the country, much less internationally. It wasn’t until I arrived at the hotel where the conference was held that I began to realize the sisterhood I belong to. The hotel was full of Tri Deltas, and it made my heart happy to see the connections being made.

“Bring You” was the overarching theme of the weekend. We all have our own ideas and strengths. Each of us brings something new to this sisterhood, and we celebrate these differences. I feel completely comfortable as myself in my sorority. I do not have to pretend to be anything other than who I am. I was able to see a beautifully diverse array of sisters, and know that Tri Delta spans so much further than my chapter.

In my chapter I am Vice President of Chapter Development, or VPCD, and I loved being able to see so many women who hold my same values and stand for the same ideas. I was able to learn so much through other VPCD sisters simply from conversations between sessions. I hope to bring what I learned to the rest of my chapter. Not only did I interact with collegiate members, I was also able to see alumna Tri Delta members. It reminded me that I will be a part of this sisterhood for my entire life.

Throughout the conference, I was able to form a closer bond with each of my sisters from my chapter, as well as friendships with new women. I will never forget the strong sense of sisterhood and community I felt throughout the entire weekend. I am honored to be a part of Tri Delta.