Every two years since I can remember, my mother got to go to Chi Omega Convention. Honestly, I didn’t know what it was. I’ve been to conferences before, like in high school, and it was basically just my friends and I hanging out in our hotel room until someone forced us to go to the large meetings and awards dinners. Needless to say, when I became a Chi Omega last August and my mom decided that my (biological) sister and I would attend Chi Omega convention with her in June, I didn’t know what to expect.

I didn’t expect the time to fly by. I didn’t expect to be entertained by Chi Omega jokes at every meeting and dinner. I didn’t truly expect to meet so many people who would say, “Hey, I know your mom!” As it turns out, when you’ve been involved in a respected organization like Chi Omega for over 30 years, you make connections that will last a lifetime.

At Convention, I had the privilege of participating in a separate leadership track--The Nancy Walton Laurie Leadership Institute of Chi Omega. With this, I met and conversed with around 50 collegiate Chi Omegas. Together, we learned about resilient leadership. All leaders face adversities, but there are two options: give up or become stronger. My Sisters and I discussed personal struggles as leaders in our sorority and in life. We talked through different challenging scenarios and our views on how to overcome them. It’s funny how even though I didn’t know a single girl in the leadership institute at the beginning, when you share something as strong as a sisterhood, it feels like you have known each other for years. We compared Bid Day themes, traditions at our schools, and our ideas on what it means to be a Chi Omega.

On the first night of Convention, the Chi Omega President announced our new tagline: “Sisters on purpose.” As I lay in bed thinking over the first day, I couldn’t stop thinking about “Sisters on purpose.” Chi Omega has been a part of me since I was born (there’s even a picture of me wearing a “Future Chi Omega” bib). It was a part of me when my dad, sister, and I dropped my mom off at Chi Omega Headquarters for the weekend when I was eight. It was a part of me when my mom had to travel so much as a volunteer when I was in middle school and high school and she never once complained about it. It was a part of me when my mother and sister went to Convention in 2014 without me. It was a part of me on August 23, the day I ran to the Chi Omega house at The University of Tulsa and was greeted with open arms by my sister Natalie.

It was a part of me through new member meetings and Big/Little reveal. It was a part of me when I moved into the house my second semester of freshman year and became so much closer to the Sisters around me. It was a part of me when I was initiated into the Sisterhood. And, of course, it was a part of me at Chi Omega Convention 2016.

Not all Chi Omegas have a story like that. Not all Chi Omegas go into recruitment knowing that they want to be a Chi Omega. But regardless of how recruitment went on for my Sisters throughout the country, we all have the same ending: Chi Omega. It didn’t happen on accident. Every single one of us are “Sisters on purpose.”

So, my thoughts on Chi Omega Convention? I am so lucky to be a part of something so positive, fun, and classy. We shared so much laughter, joy, reminiscence, and a few tears. Being in a room full of hundreds of Sisters that you don’t know but love is incredible. There is no more amazing feeling than holding hands with a stranger, singing the same song that you both know but learned at different times in your life. I am grateful for the opportunity to attend and I hope to go again in the future.