I think as college students we sometimes get caught up in this college-town world we make ourselves a home in. When we were younger, we used to get the same question all the time, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” We forget sometimes that the answer to that question is now; we forget that the tomorrows are now turning into the todays. It is human nature to have this image in our head. We have a perfect picture of what we want to do, who we want to be, what we want our life to look like made up in our minds. We idolize this idea of our own personal American dream and we wait. We wait for the perfect moment to do what we really want to do, what we really want to be, and what our life needs to look like in order to make the teenage kid we once were, proud. What we fail to realize is that the picture in our heads of this moment, of this life we want to mold, is right now. Maybe the “We” I am referring to is just me, but I can sure think of a few people off the top of my head who stress just a little bit too much about the timing in their life. It wasn’t until this year that I realized I used to put myself in a glass box. I allowed myself to see all that I could be, but failed to allow myself to break through that celling I was clinging to for comfort. Becoming president of this chapter is something I always wanted, but something I never thought I would do. To many, this position may seem like just a title; but to me, this new chapter of my life was a mile stone for me, and a change in my life I needed more than anything.
Two years ago I took a chance and joined this organization. I hoped I would make a few more friends, have something to motivate me to study, and maybe even get involved in a leadership position. What I didn’t know at the time was that Zeta Tau Alpha was the piece I had been missing. I always thought Greek life was about parties, and fraternity boys, and girls who wear way too much Lily Pulitzer, and with that stigma in my head I promised myself I would never become someone who had to pay for my friends. Somehow, when I finally was convinced to even go through the recruitment process, I realized how terribly wrong I was (which
for me and my stubborn tendencies, is pretty big to admit). I soon saw that this wasn’t about the parties, or the boys, or the brands, and frankly, if this is considered “paying for my friends” I am sure not paying enough money.
Since joining this Fraternity, I have had the pleasure of being able to observe the amazing leaders that have come before me and learn from the strides each of these influential women have made. From these observations and from my own personal motivation, I soon came to see that the type of woman that can hold such an ample position such as the one I’m in now, was exactly what I wanted to become. To me, I believe to be the President of a sorority, you have to be a leader. To be President means making executive decisions, being someone who has the answer to all the hard questions, and even if she doesn’t, being able to take the initiative to finding that answer. Being President means being a voice for a group of people, being a role model, and being someone who not only understands and follows the bylaws and rules that have been paved for their organization, but who respects and values the reasoning behind those set rules. While I do believe all of the qualifications I’ve just listed are extremely necessary to be a President, I believe there is a big difference between just being President, and being a great one. “Hard work beats talent, every single time.” These are the words my father used to say to me when I was younger when I felt like I was hitting brick wall after brick wall, and although I couldn’t see it back then, this statement couldn’t be more true. To be President does not mean you are the most talented, it means that you work hard; it means that you are driven, and most importantly, being President means that you are passionate about what the organization that you are leading stands for.
I believe it only takes one person to see something in someone else to allow them to believe that they are anything more than ordinary. If you would have told me two years ago I would be in a sorority let alone the President of one, I would
have thought you were crazy, but if there is one thing I would tell the girl I was two years ago if I had the chance, would be that the only person I had to prove I was anything more than ordinary to; was me.
Being apart of Zeta Tau Alpha has given me the confidence to be the woman that I am today and the courage and drive to be the woman I want to be tomorrow. To me, this position means new beginnings; it means I got to prove all those who didn’t think I could do it wrong, it means I allowed myself to venture out of my own personal comfort zone, it means I’ve conquered one of my biggest personal struggles and broken down one of my tallest walls; most importantly, it means for the first time in forever, I didn’t restrict myself; for the first time, I took that leap and did something I wasn’t exactly ready for, but I’m learning that that is the best way to grow.
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