What a week it was in the Dallas/Fort Worth area at the Gaylord Texan for the 2018 Biennial Tri Delta Convention! It was so exciting meeting and connecting with so many bold, brave and kind collegiate and alumnae members from all across the nation!
I was able to spend the week with 3 other members of the Chi Chapter, Scout, Sally and Abby, as well as our advisor Katie! We arrived on Sunday and had a tasty Italian dinner and then got some rest before starting the day early the next morning.
This was the inaugural LEADD conference, and we loved our time at it! We started the morning hearing from former First Lady, Laura Bush. She was INCREDIBLE! Hearing about her time living in the White House, her sweet stories about her mother-in-law Barbara Bush, the impact she has made through her literacy initiatives, and her strong desire to empower women was so inspiring. We had more seminars throughout the day that taught about networking, investing, and being a committed and connected leader! We ended the day with a fun dinner in Highland Park!
The next morning kicked off the Convention with our ritual. It was really cool to see that even though we were a part of 140+ different chapters, we were all united on the principles established by our founders in 1882!
We were so inspired by Stacy Nadeau, one of the original models for Dove’s Real Beauty campaign in 2005. She is now a professional speaker on body image, leading from within, and choosing to love yourself! She was remarkable!
That night we had the Gala, and we were so excited to meet Fraternity President, Kimberlee Sullivan, and Tri Delta CEO, Karen White! These women are leading our organization so well, and their selfless service is so commendable!
We started off the 4th of July at the business meeting! Amendment changes for our bylaws were proposed, and delegates had the chance to cast their votes and speak on the changes. It was so democratic, and I like to think our Founding Fathers would be proud lol! I was honored to serve as my chapter’s voting delegate, and it was really exciting proposing a change to a suggested amendment in front of so many impressive women!
The American traditions continued as we headed to In-N-Out Burgers for lunch!!! We wore our paper hats and happily munched our burgers and fries- it was so good! We spent the afternoon by the pool, and then had a Texas-style picnic and watched the fireworks. We also had too much fun in the photo booth!
We wrapped up our last morning in Texas at the Pansy Brunch! Each chapter was read in the order that it was colonized, and at that time the members present lighted a candle and stood. It was amazing to see the far reach of Tri Delta from 1888 all the way to 2018!
I am so grateful for the chance to live, learn and lead as a member of Tri Delta and for the opportunity to give back to my chapter this year as VP of Administration! I’m looking forward to bringing back what I have learned to the Chi chapter this fall!
