Inspired by Convention: Changing Perspectives, Changing the Conversation

Welcome to the "Inspired by Alpha Chi Omega Convention" series! Thank you, Lee Anne White, for your thoughtful insights and for providing our first guest post!

This was my third convention, which means I finally got to wear one of those “silver thingies” on my head at the Olympian lunch. When I think back on my first two conventions, the big moments are what first come to mind—the introduction of the Real. Strong. Women. branding program in 2008 and hearing the voices of our founders for the first time at our 125^th anniversary in 2010. And, of course, I’ll never forget the first time I walked into the convention hall—realizing just how big this was and seeing all of those banners flying overhead.

Yet, I agree with Amy—somehow, this convention felt different. And I believe it is best characterized by a quiet moment shared with the younger women representing our chapter who traveled to convention with me. A little concerned about the serious looks on their faces, I inquired about how they were doing and whether or not they were enjoying convention. “Oh, yes!” they said, lighting up. “This is amazing. We just never realized how inwardly focused we were as a chapter—that Alpha Chi Omega is so much more than we had ever imagined. We plan to attend all conventions from now on!” Indeed, they are already laying plans to meet in Palm Desert and mapping out a post-convention road trip to see Shania Twain perform in Las Vegas. They are also looking ahead to their future involvement with Alpha Chi Omega and have already begun connecting with sisters of all ages from all over the country.

Back on campus—even when we’re heavily focused on philanthropy and campus involvement—it’s easy to get wrapped up in our own chapter and its activities. When you attend convention, you realize that this isn’t just about your chapter or your collegian years. It gives new meaning to the concept of sisterhood for a lifetime. And at this convention, Alpha Chi Omega was not focused on itself, but on the bigger picture—really honing in on the role of both the fraternity and women in the world today, with outstanding speakers delivering powerful messages about domestic violence, the sexual objectification of women, leadership, and living a meaningful life. It was not only inspiring, but thought provoking and empowering as well.

My collegian days are well behind me. Admittedly, friends look at me funny when I tell them I am a sorority advisor. “Haven’t you outgrown sororities yet?” they clearly want to ask. I tend to respond by explaining that it’s not about “sorority.” It’s about helping young women discover their talents, abilities and potential, and helping them grow into leaders who will help shape our communities and the world. But maybe it’s about sorority, too—because it is our ritual that bonds us as sisters and that guides our daily thoughts and actions. Together, as collegians and alumnae, we will seek the heights!

Lee Anne White is the advisor for Tau Chapter, which recently celebrated its Centennial year at The Women’s College at Brenau University in Gainesville, Georgia. She blogs daily about women, creativity and living authentically at www.HerOwnWay.com. Follow her on twitter @leeannewhite and “like” her facebook page: Her Own Way.

Inspired by Alpha Chi Omega Convention

I am inspired by my Twitter sisters!

I always come home from Alpha Chi Omega Convention feeling inspired but this time feels different to me - somehow more deeply inspiring on many levels. Instead of giving a day-by-day report on Convention and the events we enjoyed, I plan to share some of the moments, people and events that inspired me the most.

In making this plan, it occurred to me that sisters have different perspectives than I have and that it would be fun to hear what inspired them. If you were at Alpha Chi Omega Convention in St. Louis and have an inspirational moment to share, you are invited to write a guest blog post for this series!

If a post of your own sounds intimidating, we could chat about your inspiring moment and then use our interview as the basis for an article.

Because there is so much to reflect on post-Convention and because it is fun to keep that Convention glow going for awhile, my tentative plan is to post one or two "Inspired by Convention" post a week for the next several weeks (give or take depending on how many guest posts are written).

Ideally, the posts will focus on a single event, moment or person and go into specifics about how that event, moment or person inspired the author. For some, there will be take home messages/lessons - the key points that stick with us and perhaps change our thinking or behavior.

Comment below with your thoughts, or tweet or email me!

Update 8/16/2012:
Eight Inspired by Alpha Chi Convention posts are now available (click title to view):
Changing Perspectives, Changing the Conversation
Inspired by "Time to Represent the Real Me"
Inspired by Alumnae Initiation
Inspired by Melissa d'Arabian
Inspired by Wisdom, Devotion & Achievement Part 1
Inspired by Wisdom, Devotion & Achievement Part 2
Inspired by Wisdom, Devotion & Achievement Part 3
Inspired by #YOLO: What Is Your Legacy?
Inspired by Chapter Consultants

Scallops - from Gulf to Table

Tara, Abe and Sara spent Friday out scalloping. They had quite an adventure (including grounding the boat on a sandbar) but came home happy and with a good catch.

Heading out Friday morning.

Scallops like the fine grasses better than the coarse grasses.

 "The catch."

Tara found this adorable little crab inside the shell while she and Abe were shucking.

 Heading back to dock

Sunday night, we had most of the gang over and I cooked up the harvest for everyone. Recipe follows photos. 

Sauteing the scallops in a little bit of butter in the cast iron skillet.

The final product = YUM!

Angel Hair Pasta with Bay Scallops, Roasted Summer Squash and Browned Butter Cream Sauce

Ingredients

7 small summer squash, chopped into bite size pieces (we used 2 zucchini and 5 yellow squash)

2 Tablespoons olive oil

salt

pepper

1 pound angel hair pasta, cooked al dente (5 minutes)

9 Tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon fresh sage, minced

3 Tablespoons heavy cream

3/4 cup (or more) freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

1 quart fresh bay scallops

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 F. Combine squash, olive oil and salt and pepper in a large bowl, stir well. Pour squash onto a baking sheet (I line it with foil for easy clean up) and roast about 25 minutes or until caramelized, stirring every 10 minutes. Hold in a warm oven until ready to serve.

Cook pasta according to package instructions while preparing the sauce.

In a large pot (I used our dutch oven), melt the 8 Tablespoons of butter with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. When the butter is melted, add the sage and cook, stirring regularly, until the butter browns and begins to smell nutty. Stir in the cream and remove from heat. At this point, you can add the cheese but we used it as a garnish. When the pasta is cooked and drained, add it to the sauce and stir well so that the sauce coats the pasta well. Pour the pasta and sauce into a large serving bowl and spread the roasted vegetables around the perimeter.

Heat a medium size cast iron skillet on high to sear the scallops. Add a half a Tablespoon of butter to skillet and when it's melted, swirl it around and add 1/2 the scallops. Sear them for about 2 minutes, then stir gently. It's important not to overcook them so as soon as they look opaque, pour the scallops and any liquid from the pan on top of the pasta (which is now in the serving bowl). Repeat with an additional 1/2 Tablespoon of butter and the second half of the scallops.

Enjoy immediately. Serve with the grated parm on the pasta and vegetables.

Sauce recipe adapted from this one from Rachael Ray.

Quote of the Week

from the tao of dana via pinterest

Great Great Grandmother

Anna Mogensen Andersen

seen also here and here 

Quote of the Week

via lollipops-and-roses via pinterest

My Last Immigrant

2012 marks an important centennial for my family as 1912 is the year that my paternal grandmother emigrated from Slovakia to the U.S. She is the most recent of all my ancestors to arrive in the States.

My grandmother, Margaret (left), with her sisters, Mary (center) and Sophie (right) on the day Sophie made her first communion. In those days you had to be 12 to take communion. This photo was likely taken during Sophie and Grandma's first year in America. 

Grandma and Aunt Sophie arrived in New York, New York on March 6, 1912 on a ship called Kronprinz Wilhelm which sailed from Cherbourg, France. They had a brother, John, and a sister, Mary (seen in the photo above), who had emigrated and lived in Cleveland with their spouses. John's wife was Mary and sister Mary's husband was John (seriously). Brother John and his wife, Mary, had a daughter, Anna, in Slovakia. (Brother) "John was sending his wife to Europe to bring their daughter home to Cleveland. John and his sister (Mary) put money together to bring their sisters Sophie and Margaret back also. At this point, they were orphans living with their brother Joseph." Mary took her two young sons (John and Steven, ages 4 and 2) with her to get the three girls. "Story is that John's wife used the money for better accommodations for her sons and Anna and put Margaret and Sophie in steerage." Grandma was 9 and Sophie 12 when they arrived. 

After arriving, Grandma and Sophie lived with their sister, Mary, and her husband, John. 

Tragically, both brother, John, and brother-in-law, John, died young. Their brother, John, died in October 1924 after being hit by a car. Brother-in-law John Vall died in December 1930 of tuberculosis. 

All quotes courtesy of my eldest Aunt. Thank you, Lill!