Time to Go Exploring

I'm always up for a fun time. And what could be more fun than starting this post with the classic comic strip, Calvin and Hobbes?

(If it's too small for you to read, you can click on the comic to make it bigger.)

Calvin is right. It's time to go exploring. And as alumni, we should start with the Alpha Xi Delta website. It is one of the best ways to get involved with AΞΔ locally and nationally. The website keeps us updated on Autism Speaks, volunteer/career opportunities, and additional news concerning the sorority. The website also includes an "Exclusively Xi" page specifically for members/alumni. I highly recommend checking it out.

You can also find your nearest Alumni Association on the website. If you have an alumni group in your area, please, please, PLEASE take advantage of that opportunity. Especially since membership is free for new grads (I don't think enough people realize that).

Is anyone else a member of an alumni association? If so, I'd love to hear about your thoughts/experiences. If not? Well, then it's time to take advantage of this magical world and go exploring.

Once an Alpha Xi, Always an Alpha Xi

I'm scared of a lot of things. Some of my fears include heights, flying insects, finding a gray hair, and pigeons. My biggest fear? Leaving my sorority behind me.

I was an active member of the Sigma Chapter of Alpha Xi Delta from my sophomore to my senior year at the University of Iowa. I was very homesick my freshman year, and having a home-away-from-home (the sorority house) and a second family (my sorority sisters) helped me get more adjusted to school and become independent. All of my favorite college memories occurred while I was living in the house--most notably the time that three of my sisters spent over an hour in the bathroom with me, teaching me how to curl my hair for our formal.

I was excited to graduate in May and begin life in the "real world". I was okay with leaving Iowa City (even though it's a beautiful, beautiful town), but I wasn't okay leaving Alpha Xi Delta. This wasn't just another club. This was a part of myself. How could I say goodbye to that?

And how could I say goodbye to my Little??

Luckily, I realized I never have to say goodbye to Alpha Xi Delta. My chapter celebrated its 100th year on campus in October, and I was reconnected with my sisters and met all sorts of cool alumni (including our national president, Sandi Edwards). Check out Sandi and that bling she's sporting!

Her chain is linked together with charms of all the Alpha Xi Delta chapters. She let me touch the Sigma charm. It was like touching the ruby slippers.

There were so many of us at the Centennial that they split us up into decades for photos! This picture is of the alumni who graduated in 2000 and beyond.

One of the alumni I met was a wonderful woman named Judy. Judy is from the same area as me, and encouraged me to join the Alpha Xi Delta Chicago North Shore Alumni Group. It is reassuring to know that there are so many Alpha Xi sisters in my area--one of them is even my neighbor, Pam!

The more meetings I go to, the more excited I get about being an alum. The North Shore alumni group exposed me to all sorts of different stories and experiences about Alpha Xi.

One of the ladies in my group had our founder, Alice Bartlett Bruner, present at her initiation! HOW COOL IS THAT?

Once you're an Alpha Xi, you're always an Alpha Xi. I've started this blog to share my alumni experience, inside and outside of the alumni group. Feel free to share your alumni experience and thoughts with me as well. Keep it PG-13 rated though, ladies--remember, this is a public blog.

Being an alum is different than being an active member. But I have sisters wherever I go, so I'm not scared. Bring it on.