Connections.......

 “Don’t cry because it’s over.  Smile because it happened.”

This famous quote from Dr. Seuss’s resonates in my mind. Joining Sigma Kappa in the fall 1995 I was seeking a connection in college. I saw all the movies, heard from friends and realized I had no connections at college. I was alone, me, just me. On a push from a floor-mate I plunged into rush not knowing what life had in store. While my chapter is dormant, 16 years later I may not have a connection to my college but I found connections beyond the Ivy towers and nights sitting around studying and laughing with new found friends.   I don’t cry because my college experience is over or that I don’t get to return as the proud alumna to my university and tailgate with alumnae and collegians. I smile because my first independent choice as an 18 year old was one of the best choices I could have ever made.  

Connections… just what are they?

They are people, experiences, events and sisterhood. In 2000 I connected with a SK alumna from a different chapter looking for advisors and I thought you know I loved my days in SK this should be fun. 14 years later I have never looked back. That connection led to me to some of the most amazing women I have been blessed to call friends, sisters, confidants and yes connections. 

Connecting to the collegians

While many of us come in reliving our college days, sharing our experiences with the fresh faced women, secretly I would trade places with them in a moment to relive the little individual events I have the privilege to share with them:   Bid Day – posters and poems from “big sisters” – initiation – conventions  -  recruitment preparation –  dinners-Founders’ day, and so many many more.

The world has changed so much since 1995 but one thing has remained the same, my connection with Sigma Kappa. When life is over scheduled, work is challenging, my sisters are there to bring me back to my silly sorority self. Whether it was walking into an alumnae meeting alone, and seeing a room full of strangers who instantly became friends, or having a collegian tell you thank you for your guidance I connected with something bigger than myself. Their experience is not my own but I am richer for knowing them. 

Connections: belonging 

Staying connected as an alumna gives me a feeling of belonging to something greater than my own little world. We get caught up in our daily lives and forget what else is out there. Through my experience in an alumnae chapter and working with our collegians I have been able to volunteer, be active in my local community, assist with national philanthropies, and connect. I was at a conference last year, alone and out of state. I used my recruitment skills to say hi and join a table of fellow teachers and chat. One teacher and I were just sharing personal information-where we lived, college we attended and somehow we got on to the subject of Greek Life and sure enough she was a Sigma Kappa too! Connection.. We both smiled and realized that’s why we connected we are sisters and instantly there is acceptance and smiles because you found a sister. I don’t need to know anything else other than she is my sister. 

That is the beauty of connecting… as a collegian your world is your college… but as an alumnae the world is your connection. You never know where you find a connection even if you think you are alone, there are 250K of us out there waiting to connect.