OklaHOMEa

Being from the South, I have never really gotten to spend much time in the Midwest (aka basically Jason Alden was calling me out personally in his song Fly Over States). So, when I saw the Theta Xi chapter on my schedule for August visits, I was so excited to spend some time in another part of the country. Flying in, I really didn't believe it when I could see flatness, literally, for MILES. It was time for this Southern girl to get a little taste of the Midwest and everything it has to offer.

Per usual, I made my way to baggage claim anxiously awaiting meeting the members who were picking me up. I later found out, that while they didn't know what I look like, they picked me out of the crowd solely based on how much jewelry I was wearing and my "impressive arm stack." Not sure if I should be proud or ashamed of that, but I guess there are just some things you can't change about a girl. ANYWAYS, I flew into Oklahoma City, and was driven to Edmond, which is only about 20 minutes away, to a quaint little place called the University of Central Oklahoma.

Upon my arrival, the women had their house all tidy, t-shirts and other ADPi treats waiting on my bed, and a group waiting to take me out to dinner (sushi of course!). I quickly realized that I am basically eating my way through the United States, but that's nothing you will ever hear me complain about. Also while in Oklahoma, I got to go to a restaurant called 'Pops' which basically has anyyyy kind of soda you want (sorry if you follow me on Instagram & already knew this but I at least added a different picture to the blog).

 

 

I unfortunately did not get to see all of Theta Xi's Spirit Week due to the time of my arrival, but I was excited to jump right into recruitment! With a recruitment theme like OklaHOMEa (hence this blog posts title), I knew they were going to do everything in their power to make the women going through recruitment realize Alpha Delta Pi is truly a home away from home!

 

Sometimes, the most fun at a chapter is when you can count the number of hours of sleep you have had in the last week on one hand. This time, I had the chapter's recruitment advisor Kristyn (the Amy to my Tina Fey) as my right hand man to make jokes with me, quote Bridesmaids, speak in only hashtags, & keep spirits high through the long hours of recruitment.

 

 

After 3 days of recruitment (open house, skit night, & preference round) I am happy to say the Theta Xi chapter welcomed home 43 new Alphas into their sisterhood! They welcomed them with a fun "ADParadise" bid day theme, complete with inflatables, a cook out, snow cones, and of course cheering and dancing!

Although my time in Oklahoma was short, I really loved getting to spend time in Edmond and working with both collegians and advisors at all hours of the night. One of the best parts of my job is seeing how every chapter has things that make them unique, but how the Alpha Delta Pi bond is visible no matter how far you may travel away from Macon, Georgia.

Lots of love from Oklahoma,
Kathryn

Good Ole' Rocky Top

To say the least, the Alpha Kappa chapter of Alpha Delta Pi has set the bar high for what an LC visit should be. These girls are caring, funny, sweet, welcoming, & have a lot of great things going for them! After three incredible weeks in Atlanta learning about all things Alpha Delta Pi, I was definitely ready for some real-world experience and to see what the University of Tennessee had to offer.

I got to Knoxville at the beginning of Spirit Days- which for all you non-ADPi sisters is the week before recruitment begins where the entire chapter works on recruitment polishing. This being my first chapter visit, I had absolutely NO idea what to expect. So, I got off the plane, made my way to baggage claim, met the president, and jut took things as they came from there. Side note- walking into a room full of 150 women who you don't know and having to make friends is quite the challenge. Alpha Kappa did a great job of giving each Spirit Day a theme; pictured below is the lovely President, Merrell, on Hawaiian day (other themes included sports jersey day & ADPi spirit day).

Anyway, Alpha Kappa hooked a sista up. I got my own bed, a top-notch roommate who is oh-so-cleverly pictured below (and God bless her for never making me feel awkward about taking over half her room for 10 days. Hailey, you're gonna do BIG things for Alpha Kappa and I can't wait to watch your journey unfold), bags full of my favorite snacks, and warm welcomes from every sister that came in contact with me. Additionally, my first meal in Knoxville was sushi.. Can you say hashtag SOLD?! In addition to getting to eat my favorite food, I also got to experience some of the cool 'local' things to do including Old City, downtown, Market Square, Calhoun's, & campus tours. The advisors for the chapter also went above and beyond and took me to several meals, which is basically one of the biggest treats to a LC and NEVER goes unnoticed.

During recruitment the girls showcased their sisterhood in Go Greek round, made every woman in the room laugh during their skit round (I even sometimes strangely laugh to myself when I think of the ultimate 'frat stars'), and sold 60 woman on how strong our sisterhood is during preference round. A 1,000 person recruitment is no laughing matter, but thanks to the officers, recruitment team, and dedication of the chapter, the girls made it look effortless. I may not know the real Rocky Top song, but you can bet I know the whole ADPi version that's sung in recruitment!

My 10 days in Knoxville came to a close after one of my most favorite parts of the Alpha Delta Pi experience- BID DAY. With a theme like a "League of Our Own," I'm sure you can only imagine how much fun the chapter and new Alphas had during their first night together. It was filled with hot dogs, funnel cakes (!!!), ADPi pride, & of course lots of chanting and dancing in the dreamy Pi Palace.

 

 

So, without getting TOO sappy, I want to thank the Alpha Kappa chapter for all they did for me, and mostly because no sister ever hesitated to reach out to make my visit the most enjoyable possible. Thank you for the late night runs to Chipotle/Insomnia Cookies, smiles when I was awkwardly sitting in the corner on Spirit Days, listening to me and how I would ramble at 3 a.m, showering me with t-shirts, crazy amounts of candy, keeping up with my adventures, and most importantly, making me fall in love with my job each and every day.

 

Lots of Love from Tennessee,

Kathryn