Inspired by Convention: #YOLO – What Is Your Legacy?

Welcome to the eighth post in the "Inspired by Alpha Chi Omega Convention" series! Thank you, Jill Moran, for sharing the moments at Convention that most inspired her!

2012 has marked my 4th Alpha Chi Omega Convention (I’m officially an Olympian, it takes attending 4 conventions to qualify), my 12th year as a member of Alpha Chi Omega, my 5th wedding anniversary (which was celebrated at Convention the night of 7/14/12) and I turned 31.

Jill and Brian Moran celebrate 5 years
of Marriage at the Arch 

With all these milestones I took time throughout the weekend to do some much needed internal reflection at the 2012 Alpha Chi Omega Convention. One word was the catalyst for said reflection, Legacy. I heard it over and over throughout the weekend. 

First let me give a little bit of my Alpha Chi Omega story. 

Debbie Meyer Chamberlain, mother &
Jill Chamberlain Moran, daughter 

Legacy means many things: birthright, gift, and inheritance just to name a few. In the Panhellenic world a legacy is a sister, daughter, granddaughter or great-granddaughter of a member. For me, legacy describes who I am in the Alpha Chi Omega world. I am indeed a legacy of Alpha Chi Omega; my mother was initiated into my same chapter of initiation (Alpha Delta at the University of Cincinnati) a mere 30 years before me (1970 for my mom and 2000 for myself). The legacy of Alpha Chi Omega was introduced to me at an early age – some of my first memories of the University of Cincinnati as a child are at the Alpha Chi Omega house. At an early age I learned the importance of supporting your sisters and in turn leaning on them for support. Now, I instill those same principles into the ladies I advise at the Beta Tau chapter at Miami University.

Jill Chamberlain Moran PAC-OH,
Madeline Power BT VP of Recruitment,
Kelly Fried ALA Co-President

Back to the 2012 Convention, on Saturday at the opening chapter meeting, or as my husband (he is almost an Olympian himself with this being his 3rd convention) says – all white day.

I shifted my focus from just absorbing information and taking notes a step further with self-reflection and meditation. All of this started with one little hashtag phrase our out-going National President, Marsha Grady, used as a theme in her opening speech – #YOLO.

I will admit for a tech and social media savvy 31 year old who works with college women I had yet to hear or pay attention to this particular hashtag. During Marsha’s speech I learned it was an acronym for You Only Live Once and is often used when you tweet about doing something really great or doing something just the opposite, making just as much of a mistake. In her speech she pointed out that most use the hashtag for the latter. It was the story of her son’s high school senior class that used the term to take a horrible situation that they experienced and turn it into a positive by making their senior Year the best it could be with only positive outcomes as their legacy to their high school and community.

Outgoing National President
Marsha Grady

Later at the Foundation lunch, The Alpha Chi Omega Foundation launched the “For Now For Ever”  capital campaign. I remember leaving the lunch, again, with the word legacy on my mind – but in this case how can I motivate the Alumnae Chapters and their members that I work with in Ohio to help leave some sort of financial legacy (as they are able). 

My “A Ha” moment with the word legacy came at the final night dinner as the incoming National President, Diane Wilson Blackwelder, was giving her speech.

Incoming National President
Diane Blackwelder

Her speech was an anthology of real life Alpha Chi Omega stories including her own. My personal and metaphorical light bulb finally shone so bright it burst – the legacy I can leave my fellow sisters and potential sisters is my Alpha Chi Omega story that I am currently living. My story is more than the simple went school, joined a sorority, went to class, graduated and etc… my story will show others how an organization I love so much has endured and evolved over time with many highs and lows. Alpha Chi Omega has given me my second family, priceless leadership and networking skills (my mom and I will bump each other at community social events to work the room), as well as the opportunity for me to do what I to best – coach and motivate women who will be our future leaders.

I interact with a member of Alpha Chi Omega almost everyday – I work with 2 other Alpha Chi’s, my mother is an Alpha Chi, my maid of honor and closest friends are Alpha Chi’s, many of my twitter friends are sisters I have yet to meet, and the collegiate women I advise have constant communication with me. These lovely ladies who range in age and live across the country have become part of my current story as I share my past with them. I now know what my speech will be if I am ever asked to talk at an Alpha Chi Omega event. It will be my Alpha Chi Omega story as my experiences have shaped me into the woman I am today. I mentioned having highs and lows as any good story has – such as rising above and becoming closer to my Alpha Delta Alpha Chi Omega sisters when our chapter was closed during my 2nd year of school, to the high of being honored with the Grace Daniels Outstanding Sorority Chapter Advisor Award at Miami University.

Each time I return from convention I always feel energized and wish I could bottle that feeling to give to those Alpha Chi Omegas that may have gotten lost along the way. Instead all I can do is share my story and ask what will be your legacy to give? #YOLO, so you better make it be a lasting (& positive) legacy – I know my legacy in progress will last.

Photos courtesy of Jill Moran and Greek Year Book.

Jill Chamberlain Moran is an initiate of the Alpha Delta Chapter (University of Cincinnati). Currently she serves as the Province Alumnae Chair for Ohio, Collegiate Liaison Chair for Alpha Lambda Alpha (Cincinnati), Technology Specialist – Brand Use Materials, and Chapter Advisor for Beta Tau (Miami University) for Alpha Chi Omega. Check out her blog where she has many observations and (mostly humorous) insights in her everyday life of a graphic designer and follow her on twitter or find her on facebook.

Inspired by Convention: Wisdom, Devotion, Achievement Part 3

Welcome to the seventh post in the "Inspired by Alpha Chi Omega Convention" series. Thank you, Jessica Mace, for her generosity in providing a three-part series, themed Wisdom, Devotion, Achievement, including part three today: Achievement.

If you spend any amount of time with me, you find out very quickly that I’m a fan of lists. I love lists, folders, goal setting… all of it! It makes me happy, gives me purpose, and stops me from watching Dance Moms marathons every day.

Well, about two years ago, I had this really neat idea. What if we gathered all of the Alpha Chi’s who have connections to the military and make a virtual alumnae group? Wouldn’t that be amazing?! I thought so, and started sharing with a few people. Minus a few naysayers (They thought we wouldn’t get enough people… HA! 40+members and counting!), everyone was on board. I was even featured as a Real. Strong. Woman of the Month on the Alpha Chi Omega website. National Headquarters provided me as much exposure as they could…but for whatever reason we just couldn’t reach the right people. So the idea was tabled for awhile, but it stayed on my list of goals.

Fast-forward two years, new sisters came in (HUGE shout out to Gina Fox and Liza Hallsten), and we’re finally off the ground! Each new chapter gets installed…some it’s just a matter of getting your certificate in the mail, others have a ceremony. The challenge of a military chapter is that we are literally everywhere. There was no way we could have a ceremony with people attending…UNLESS it was at Convention. We were approved by National Council at their final meeting for 2010-2012, allowing us to be installed in July at Convention!

Friday night, following the Alumnae Initiation, Carol Lutz and Gina Fox installed our military alumnae chapter. At some point during the ceremony, I teared up. I blame it on deploymones (n. the extra surge of hormones and emotions that become nearly impossible to deal with when your husband is deployed). But in actuality, it was just a big moment for both me and the sisters there. Having the chapter installed by the 2012 Convention was my Big Hairy Audacious Goal. And it was complete!

This achievement isn’t something any one of us did. It can attributed to the strength of Alpha Chi Omega, and the military supporters within it. I tried to do it on my own, and it wouldn’t come together. I added the help of my sisters, and it was achieved.

These three moments defined my convention experience. There are so many more that I would love to discuss, so many that impacted me. If you haven’t already, start saving for Convention 2014. I can’t imagine how the experience could get any better, but I’m not going to miss out on the opportunity to find out.

Jessica Mace is an initiate of Gamma Tau chapter at Oklahoma City University. A certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor, she currently serves as Volunteer Placement Coordinator for Alpha Chi Omega, and Vice President of Pi Sigma Pi, Stars and Stripes Alumnae Chapter. Follow her on twitter at @JessicaAMace, and ‘like’ her on facebook at www.facebook.com/JMaceFitness

Like Stars and Stripes Alumnae Chapter on facebook
http://axostarsandstripes.weebly.com/

Inspired by Convention: Wisdom, Devotion, Achievement Part 2

Welcome to the sixth post in the "Inspired by Alpha Chi Omega Convention" series. Thank you, Jessica Mace, for her generosity in providing a three-part series, themed Wisdom, Devotion, Achievement, including part two today: Devotion. 

Right after I graduated from college, I moved to a small town in North Carolina that didn't have an alumnae chapter. The closest one was a little over an hour way, so it wasn’t really in the cards to do much with it right away. As I slowly went batty from lack of things to do (did I mention that my husband deployed as soon as we got here?!), I went on the Alpha Chi website and looked for volunteer opportunities. I saw one that seemed intriguing—Volunteer Placement Coordinator. I immediately applied and was delighted to receive the position. I figured I’d do a little bit to help, and that’d be it. I had no idea the opportunities I'd be given to  grow, connect, and develop.

One such opportunity came up this spring: My very first convention, and I was asked to present a session called Volun-Tour with my counterpart, Laura Sanders, the Training and Recognition Coordinator. Our goal was to give people a look into what volunteering is like-both at the national and local level.

Jessica (right) with her counterpart, Laura
(left) and Kassie Kissinger, Director of Life-
time Engagement (center).

I won't lie, I didn't think we'd have many people come to the session. I thought that since it was an intro to volunteering, most people would either a) be in the chapter president sessions, b) already be a volunteer and not feel the need to attend, or c) attend one of the other great sessions that were planned. Imagine my surprise when our little room got more and more filled...resulting in my nerves getting the best of me at the beginning of the presentation. As I was discussing structures and placement processes, I felt the calm setting in. I helped create this process, I'm the only volunteer coordinator Alpha Chi has had thus far, it's not like someone was going to jump out and call me an imposter!

At the end of the presentation, we had a Q&A session with a panel of experienced volunteers. As they talked, the thought crossed my mind about how different we all are: alumnae from all over the country, all different initiation years, all different experiences! Yet all these women come together in support of what we all have in common—the thread of sisterhood, and the commitment to give back.

You see, as a volunteer you’re not just saying “I’m an alumna now and it’s sort of expected that I give back since I did _____________________ in college.” You may be saying any number of things, from “I just moved to a new town and I know I have at least one thing in common with these women” to “I’m still living in the same town I went to college in and this works for me." The common thread though, is all of us are saying “This experience means a lot to me.” Because, why else do you volunteer? You volunteer because the cause means a lot to you, because you experienced something great and want to provide that to the next group of people.

I took the chance and got involved, and in two years I've gone to a national training, a National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) Alumnae Summit, and Alpha Chi Omega Convention. I’ve met countless sisters I would have never interacted with otherwise. I've met women from NPC groups who serve as constant inspirations. Yeah, I gave back and gave my time. But what I've received has been so astronomical I couldn’t list it all without breaking Amy’s blog. Take a minute, and commit to volunteer with Alpha Chi here.

Stay tuned for tomorrow and part 3: ACHIEVEMENT

Jessica Mace is an initiate of Gamma Tau chapter at Oklahoma City University. A certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor, she currently serves as Volunteer Placement Coordinator for Alpha Chi Omega, and Vice President of Pi Sigma Pi, Stars and Stripes Alumnae Chapter. Follow her on twitter at @JessicaAMace, and ‘like’ her on facebook at www.facebook.com/JMaceFitness

Inspired by Convention: Wisdom, Devotion, Achievement Part 1

Welcome to the fifth post in the "Inspired by Alpha Chi Omega Convention" series. Thank you, Jessica Mace, for your generosity in providing a three-part series, themed Wisdom, Devotion, Achievement. 

This was my very first convention. When Amy asked me to reflect back on a moment from it, so much came to mind: I thought of the experience of rooming with sisters I have never met in real life; I thought of connecting with a sister I had never spent time in chapter with but who has known my husband longer than I have. I thought of sitting with one of my greatest role models and changing the conversation, of nerves before presenting for the first time, and of tears at seeing one of my BHAG’s (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) come true. Ultimately, it was these last three I couldn’t help but write about. These are moments that shaped me, that inspired me, and that developed me.

I’m splitting these up into three separate posts —Wisdom, Devotion, and Achievement —so that I can give each one the attention it deserves.

(WISDOM)

Starting with Wisdom: Changing the conversation. On Monday we had a presentation by Caroline Heldman and a screening of the film Miss Representation. If you haven’t seen it-go do so now! It’s available on iTunes  (here). Not only is the subject matter fascinating and necessary, but I had the privilege of sitting next to one of my Alpha Chi role models during it, Jari Askins. Jari has been very involved in Oklahoma politics, from State Senate to serving as Lieutenant Governor (2007-2011). She is my Alpha Chi role model, and a role model of mine in general.

One of the areas the documentary covered is woman on woman competition. We are so hard on each other. You see a woman at a stoplight, and before you can even think twice you are judging her. Her skirt is too tight, why is she putting it all out there like that? There’s lipstick in her teeth, does she even own a mirror? It goes on. Very rarely do you look at a female you don’t know and go “Wow, I bet she has some great insight on the BCS system.”

There would be moments in the documentary where I would look to Jari for validation, or in amazement that these statistics were true. She’d look back and nod, and sometimes add a tidbit on about how she had experienced it in one way or another in her life…and I would typically become just a little more disgusted with the world we live in.

The us is 90th in the world in having women in legislature. #missrepresentation #unacceptable #AXOatTheArch #AXOConv2012

— Jessica Mace (@JessicaAMace) July 16, 2012

The average number of news stories about women and girls is LESS THAN 20%. #disgusting #changingtheconversation #missrepresentation

— Jessica Mace (@JessicaAMace) July 16, 2012

It’s sharing in the wisdom of the sisters that came before me, in the resources and education they provide to help me grow into who I'm meant to be. It’s the little teaching moments of sisterhood that make for some of my most memorable (like the moment when Jari said, "yes, it really is that bad.").

It’s not alone seek the average, it’s together let us seek the heights. Aim high, and take your sisters with you.

Stay tuned for tomorrow and part 2: DEVOTION

Jessica Mace is an initiate of Gamma Tau chapter at Oklahoma City University. A certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor, she currently serves as Volunteer Placement Coordinator for Alpha Chi Omega, and Vice President of Pi Sigma Pi, Stars and Stripes Alumnae Chapter. Follow her on twitter at @JessicaAMace, and ‘like’ her on facebook at www.facebook.com/JMaceFitness

Quote of the Week

"Remember happiness is a way of travel not a destination" - Roy Goodman
available from vol25 on etsy via pinterest

Strawberry Shortcake

For Valentine's, we made heart-shaped  shortcakes. 

T and I are big fans of strawberry shortcake. It's easy to make and a great dessert for kids as they can assemble their bowls themselves. The first baking T did, as a toddler, was biscuits. I'd put a big beach towel on the floor, set him and the bowl of flour on the towel and let him cut the butter into the flour. Messy but fun. At fourteen, he is still a fan of making biscuits. We like shortcakes with all kinds of fruit - peaches, blueberries, or red raspberries can all be substituted for the strawberries. 

Strawberry Shortcakes

For the strawberries:

1 quart strawberries, as ripe as you can get, hulled and quartered

1 Tablespoon sugar

Mix the strawberries and sugar together in a bowl and set aside to let the berries macerate. Feel free to adjust the amount of sugar depending on your taste and the sweetness of the berries. 

For the biscuits (adapted from Betty Crocker's iconic recipe here)

2 cups flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter, cold
1/2 to 3/4 cup milk
Preheat oven to 450 F. Combine the first four ingredients in a big bowl and mix well. Cut the butter into small chunks and add to the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter (example here) or two knives, cut the butter into the flour until the butter is worked in fairly well and the butter is no larger than a small pea. Add the milk and mix it in with a wooden spoon just until dough forms. If you add too much milk, the dough will be really sticky, so go easy on it. Once the dough comes together, dump it out onto a floured surface and knead it together a few times. Then roll the dough out to about 1/2-inch thick and cut into shapes for baking. Place on a cookie sheet and bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. [Feel free to adjust the sugar in this recipe as well, we like ours a little less sweet so we only use a 1/2 Tablespoon of sugar.]

For the whipped cream
1 cup heavy cream, cold
1 Tablespoon powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Whisk or beat together all ingredients until soft peaks form. Or use your favorite store bought whipped cream (my nephews love Reddi-Whip).

Assemble the shortcakes by splitting a biscuit in half (or breaking it into pieces), covering it with strawberries and then heaping whipped cream on top.

Inspired by Convention: Melissa d'Arabian

Welcome to the fourth post in the "Inspired by Alpha Chi Omega Convention" series! Thank you, Kelly Kilgour, for sharing what most inspired you in this guest post!

I love going to Convention. I love seeing my Twitter sisters in real life, meeting my team of specialists face to face, and reconnecting with my favorite Texans. Each Convention is different but still a wonderful experience. If I had only known what the weekend in St. Louis was to bring, I don't think I could have ever prepared for it. I laughed, cried, and reflected more in those 96 hours than I probably had my entire life. This Convention was the absolute best I have attended, in so many ways. Because it would turn into a novel if I tried to write about everything that inspired me, I'm just going to focus on the one person who inspired me the most: Melissa d'Arabian.

Melissa first spoke to us during her acceptance of the Award of Achievement, given to outstanding alumnae who have made significant contributions in their field or profession. It was a teaser speech of what was about to come later at the National Housing Corporation (NHC) lunch, but I didn't know it yet. She spoke fondly of Alpha Chi Omega at Vermont and the support she received when she lost her mother at only 20 years old.

I'll admit, I hadn't watched her season of Food Network Star. After she won, I heard that she is an Alpha Chi Omega. I watched her show a few times, but I didn't know much more about her than that she was a stay at home mom who won a reality TV show with a prize of a show on the Food Network.

During her speech at the NHC lunch, I learned about Melissa's life and why she does the things she does. She grew up with a sister and her single mother, and watched as her mother put herself through medical school to give her daughters a better life. Melissa then lost her mom to suicide. Before marrying her husband and having four children, Melissa earned her MBA and worked in consulting and finance. There was so much more to this woman than I had ever imagined.

Through what seemed like years of deep introspection, Melissa was able to articulate beautifully how to live each day to the fullest. Her goal was to give us one lesson and two challenges, but I instead gained a longer list of wisdom from her:

• Lesson: You take you with you wherever you go. Happiness is an inside job.
• Challenge: Take 3 minutes and develop your personal life mission. Then, don't do anything that doesn't further your personal life mission.
• Challenge: Know what's really important to you, then allocate your resources to that.
• Life is easier when you sit in the front row.
• I want to raise women who know that it's okay to say "no" to people and still love them.
• We don't need to be afraid of failure; we need to be afraid of success at the wrong thing.

I left that room of 900 people feeling like she and I had just had an intimate one-on-one conversation. I could relate to her and everything that she was saying. Thanks to the recent lengthy Atlantic article, there's been much debate lately on whether or not women can "have it all" and how to make it happen. As women, I feel that we constantly try to please and care for others long before we care for ourselves. We feel pressure to do it all and be everything to everyone, and we feel guilty if we try to sneak in some "me" time or do something that solely benefits ourselves. We find it hard to say "no" to people, and it all keeps piling higher on our plates. Millennial women are burning out before 30, before adding marriage and children into the mix. While it may seem that Melissa "has it all," she is actually just focusing on allocating her resources to what's most important to her and only saying "yes" to things that further her personal life mission.

Melissa inspired me to really think about my personal life mission and what's important to me, which is exactly what she hoped we would all do. So now I challenge all of you to do the same things. What is your personal life mission? What is important to you? How can you further your personal life mission by allocating by allocating your resources to what's most important to you?

Photo credit: Iota Psi chapter of Alpha Chi Omega, Elon University

Kelly Kilgour is an initiate of the Kappa Nu chapter (Carnegie Mellon University). She currently volunteers as the Lead Technology Specialist, helping alumnae chapters to utilize technology in new ways. She is also the president of the Chi Chi (Pittsburgh, PA) alumnae chapter and the finance advisor for both Kappa Nu and Delta (Allegheny College). Follow her on twitter at @QueenKellyLynn.