Many of you are probably wondering, "What exactly is a Traveling Leadership Consultant?" Or maybe you're wondering, "You work for your sorority? How does that work?" Well, before I can answer those questions, I must start from the beginning.
During my sophomore year at Saint Louis University, I decided to go through the sorority recruitment process (although, if you ask my parents, they forced me to go through it. They only say that so that I have to say "You were right"...). Initially, I had my heart set on a specific sorority, however ended up pledging Zeta Tau Alpha. I wasn't quite sure about my decision, but I decided to ride it out, and give it a shot. Within the first few weeks of being in the chapter, I became the Vice President of Recruitment. I was lucky to get involved in a leadership role that essentially forced me to really get to know these random girls that I was supposed to call "sisters". Long story short, it ended up being one of the best decisions I ever made. I followed through with my position as the VP of Recruitment and went on to be the chapter President. And, here I am now, working for the sorority - getting paid to do what I loved in college! A lot of people who aren't involved in the Greek community have a hard time understanding what it is like to be a part of one of these organizations. It's really quite an extraordinary experience thats hard to explain. I find that this quote helps to describe all that it has meant to me:
“People ask why I am in a sorority and I try to explain all the things a sorority is that they cannot see. A sorority is more than letters on a sweatshirt, I say, more than traditional songs, a gold pin, rituals, an obligation, or a way of life. A sorority is learning about people, a sorority is giving without expecting a return. A sorority is earning respect from others, as well as for yourself. A sorority will not solve all your problems. But I have made good friends and found confidence there to help me take life one step at a time.” – Unknown
So now, maybe you can kind of understand it...just a little bit? If you do, and even if you don't, the next logical question is "How can you work for a sorority?" This may come as shock, but the movie "The House Bunny" doesn't exactly portray a realistic illustration of sorority life. National sororities are actually major corporations that have headquarters, staff, etc... My sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha (which is TAU as in PAW, not TAU as in COW...get it?) is the third largest in the nation for collegiate members, one of the largest in alumnae members and currently has the largest headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana. ZTA was the first Greek organization to have a housing corporation and to this day, has the most housing facilities for their members. ZTA also has a large scholarship program for its collegiate members. Finally, ZTA prides herself on our philanthropic efforts: Breast Cancer Awareness and Education. What is great about this philanthropy is two things - 1. Breast cancer is important to everyone, every where. It is not limited to women and everyone should be informed, and 2. Our philanthropy is Breast Cancer Awareness and Education - that is not a specific company or group that we support. If there is something that seeks to educate on Breast Cancer, we help! Therefore, we do all that we can to help spread awareness and education. As if I haven't given you enough information, I encourage you to visit our website to learn more about how great our organization really is: Zeta Tau Alpha
Okay, moving on! So, because ZTA acts as a major corporation, they need women to help support this corporation. Now, there are many staff members who keep things running at our national office, however because our business is not solely in Indiana, but across the nation, ZTA hires freshly graduated members to join the team and travel to the different chapters. As a Traveling Leadership Consultant, I will be living out of my suitcase for an entire school year, traveling from chapter to chapter, state to state, visiting my collegiate sisters. While there, I will help them with any internal problems they may be having, help them capitalize on their positive aspects, assist in recruitment workshops, work on marketing projects ,etc....if you can think of something that involves glitter, I probably do it! Essentially, a TLC is the eyes and ears for the national headquarters.
Whew! That was quite the post! Now that you're sorority experts, give your eyes a rest, and I'll quiz you later :)
Love,
Emily
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