Sunday, February 26th, 2017
Our last day at NGLA was a great conclusion to the fun weekend we've had. To start, I woke up probably 30 minutes before we needed to be downstairs with our stuff packed. Thankfully, I packed the night before. We grabbed breakfast, got in our vans, and headed back home. John had control of the AUX and so the backseat revolted because he refused to put on some Chance and Drake. The backseat put all of our devices together and synced up our songs so we would have an amplified volume of the song we wanted to listen to. Anyways, as I type this blog I am sitting in the Chemistry Lounge of the DMF Science Building reminiscing about all of the fun we had.
This is a list of inspiring/impactful words that I have composed during NGLA:
1) Be the change YOU wish to see in the World.
2) Surround yourself with people you want to be like; people that are on your Dream Team.
3) "There is a superhero in all of us, you just need the courage to put on your cape."
4) Each one of us has the power to change someone's life.
5) "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."
6) Be happy where you are, with what you have.
7) Focus on the good, put your all into it.
8) "The cave you fear to enter, holds the treasure you seek."
9) Doing nothing is unacceptable; especially during times of injustice.
10) Stop complaining, just do it. Work hard to get to your goals.
11) Love yourself
12) Be yourself
All in all, NGLA was an amazing experience. I've learned a lot about my organization, the greek community and the eyes of others, and the opportunities that await around the corner. I will forever be thankful for this experience and I cannot wait to make impactful change in my community
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
I took a few extra days to reflect, but here I am
So I took a couple days to really reflect on my experience. At this point, I'm in post-NGLA depression, that feeling you get like after a concert and it happened so fast you want to relive it.
I do wish I had more time to talk with the 39 incredible DPHIE's that went to NGLA including International Headquarters Officials who I had such amazing and constructive conversations with. I went to NGLA wanting to talk to local chapters and push my anti-hazing agenda, especially for my own sisterhood whose guiding principles are Justice, sisterhood, and love. However, I came, with a bigger mission, I came back to BSU with a new plan, a plan of action. I have been in the process of searching for grad schools, and now, my top choice is a school with a chapter of Delta Phi Epsilon, and my dream would to be their advisor. To lead a group of undergraduate women towards a brighter and more fulfilled future. I now have a great amount of ideas and strategies to improve my chapter. I've also gained leadership skills that will help me in any position I take on in my sorority.
I do wish I had more time to talk with the 39 incredible DPHIE's that went to NGLA including International Headquarters Officials who I had such amazing and constructive conversations with. I went to NGLA wanting to talk to local chapters and push my anti-hazing agenda, especially for my own sisterhood whose guiding principles are Justice, sisterhood, and love. However, I came, with a bigger mission, I came back to BSU with a new plan, a plan of action. I have been in the process of searching for grad schools, and now, my top choice is a school with a chapter of Delta Phi Epsilon, and my dream would to be their advisor. To lead a group of undergraduate women towards a brighter and more fulfilled future. I now have a great amount of ideas and strategies to improve my chapter. I've also gained leadership skills that will help me in any position I take on in my sorority.
Monday, February 27, 2017
Thanks for the memories
Coming home after spending the weekend at NGLA was bittersweet. I learned a lot about myself, as well as ways to help improve our Greek Community. I am excited to share my experience with my chapter on Tuesday. The sessions had greak speakers who shared inspiring stories and ways to improve our organizations. Although some of the sessions were not what I expected, I was still grateful to be there. I enjoyed getting to know other members of the Greek Community and meeting members of my organization from other schools.
Thank you IFC and Panhel for putting on a great conference, I can't wait to encourage more members to apply next year and see how our community will continue to grow.
I was honored to have been chosen to attend this NGLA this year and am thanful I had the opportunity to experience it. Spending time with the delegation made me realize what a great Greek Community we have at BSU and I am proud to be a part of it.
Thank you IFC and Panhel for putting on a great conference, I can't wait to encourage more members to apply next year and see how our community will continue to grow.
I was honored to have been chosen to attend this NGLA this year and am thanful I had the opportunity to experience it. Spending time with the delegation made me realize what a great Greek Community we have at BSU and I am proud to be a part of it.
The City of Dreams
The evening before our departure for NGLA, I was hanging out with two of my friends Haylee and Matt. As we were walking to the parking garage, we all brought up our upcoming plans for the weekend. I mentioned I was going to NGLA. Matt asked where it was. Haylee answered "It's in Hartford, also known as the City of Dreams!" Matt looked at us confused but not quite in disbelief. Haylee explained she was just kidding and we all shifted into a new conversation.
Little did Haylee, Matt or I know that Hartford is in fact the city of dreams, well at least this past weekend it was. The first presentation at NGLA was called Be The Dream Maker. Keynote speaker, Michelle Guobadia discussed that over the years, the Greek community has lost our way, steered off the path and forgotten our common goal. Men and women formed these organizations in secret, to come together to learn and be better overall. They didn't create these organizations to create drama, host parities or do poorly in our academic courses. Men and women had a dream. In order to continue their accomplishments, we must work together, to continue to be the dream maker and not the dream killer.
The rest of the sessions were also impactful. They taught and reminded me to look into the perspective of other people and to appreciate what we have. They also reminded me that it's okay to make mistakes. However, in order to learn from them, we must own up, and be accountable. Stop pointing fingers at other people and just own it. Own it for yourself, your chapter and your community.
I'm so thankful for this incredible experience. I'd like to thank Panhel, IFC in providing me the wonderful opportunity to go to NGLA. I recommend any member of their individual organiztion to apply! These blogposts I have written over the past few days honestly does not do the conference justice. I think these sessions are not only benefical to people who hold positions in their respected fraternity or sorority, but members who are curious, willing to learn, want to grow and want to make a difference in our community. I also would like to congradulate MB! Your hardwork does not go unnoticed and I'm so happy you earned the Philippi Award
Thanks again to everyone that made this opportunity possible. I had an amazing weekend that several of the sessions will resonate with me for years to come. I'm looking forward to relaying the information back to our chapter president and with the community! We must continue the dream of our founding members. We have all worked so hard and have come too far to be the dream killers.
That's a wrap!
I can't believe that NGLA is over now... It just seems like yesterday I received the email to say I was lucky enough to be chosen for this amazing opportunity. Although I can say the weekend absolutely FLEW by, it was filled with so much fun and so much learning. I know coming back from NGLA I am a better leader and individual than when I first arrived.
Words cannot express how thankful I am to IFC and Panhellenic for allowing me the opportunity to attend this weekend. I also can't thank MB and Emma enough for being amazing role models for me and all the other delegates this weekend.
Coming away from NGLA, I know have made amazing new friendships and have memories I will always be able to look back on. Without a doubt, I would highly recommend that every member of the Greek community should apply to NGLA in the future. It doesn't matter if you have a position or not or if you've been in your organization long or not. NGLA can help everyone grow as an individual and become more confident in who they are as an individual and as a leader.
I can't wait to share all the information I learned with my chapter and see how we can grow!
Words cannot express how thankful I am to IFC and Panhellenic for allowing me the opportunity to attend this weekend. I also can't thank MB and Emma enough for being amazing role models for me and all the other delegates this weekend.
Coming away from NGLA, I know have made amazing new friendships and have memories I will always be able to look back on. Without a doubt, I would highly recommend that every member of the Greek community should apply to NGLA in the future. It doesn't matter if you have a position or not or if you've been in your organization long or not. NGLA can help everyone grow as an individual and become more confident in who they are as an individual and as a leader.
I can't wait to share all the information I learned with my chapter and see how we can grow!
DiNardo sweet DiNardo
We left Hartford at 9am and we had Starbucks for breakfast. Tip: don't order a venti if you are determinined to not make any pit stops during the road trip. As much as I loved my time at NGLA and the bonding I did with my fellow Greeks, I was happy to come back to my single room and my single bed in good 'ol DiNardo (true the amenities aren't as nice, but my introverted side is happy).
What I've gained from this weekend in Hartford is a sense of appreciation. There have been several instances throughout this conference where I was reminded how thankful I am for what I have in Greek life. I am thankful that at BSU we do not experience the common problems that other campuses face. Over the past few days I've heard delegates give examples such as poor relations with administrations, departments, and surrounding communities, tension between organizations, hazing, and apathy. I feel so grateful to have an amazing community at BSU. One where we are supported and respected by our university president, fire and police departments, staff professionals. I am appreciative, more than I can express, that we have a Greek community that respects each other and enjoys spending time with each other; it truly is an asset that makes us stronger. I am thankful that we have chapters that have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to hazing and that we have members that respect one another. Most of all I am thankful that we have such passionate members in BSU Greek life. This weekend so many people I met said they had to really push people to want to attend NGLA or that this wasn't their first time attending the annual conference. As jealous as I was that I knew this would be my only time at NGLA, I reminded myself that I should be thankful that I was given this opportunity, and thankful that we have so many passionate leaders that make getting a spot at this conference competitive. I am also thankful that there are new delegates each year so that we have fresh faces to lead our community.
I highly recommend every member of our community applies to attend NGLA because it was an amazing experience filled with learning, networking, bonding, and fun. I will always appreciate this opportunity I've been given and would not replace it for anything.
What I've gained from this weekend in Hartford is a sense of appreciation. There have been several instances throughout this conference where I was reminded how thankful I am for what I have in Greek life. I am thankful that at BSU we do not experience the common problems that other campuses face. Over the past few days I've heard delegates give examples such as poor relations with administrations, departments, and surrounding communities, tension between organizations, hazing, and apathy. I feel so grateful to have an amazing community at BSU. One where we are supported and respected by our university president, fire and police departments, staff professionals. I am appreciative, more than I can express, that we have a Greek community that respects each other and enjoys spending time with each other; it truly is an asset that makes us stronger. I am thankful that we have chapters that have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to hazing and that we have members that respect one another. Most of all I am thankful that we have such passionate members in BSU Greek life. This weekend so many people I met said they had to really push people to want to attend NGLA or that this wasn't their first time attending the annual conference. As jealous as I was that I knew this would be my only time at NGLA, I reminded myself that I should be thankful that I was given this opportunity, and thankful that we have so many passionate leaders that make getting a spot at this conference competitive. I am also thankful that there are new delegates each year so that we have fresh faces to lead our community.
I highly recommend every member of our community applies to attend NGLA because it was an amazing experience filled with learning, networking, bonding, and fun. I will always appreciate this opportunity I've been given and would not replace it for anything.
Sunday, February 26, 2017
A memory to last a lifetime
On the final day as we leave Connecticut and head back to Massachusetts it was a reflection period for sure of information to take in that will be of great value for myself and the rest of the Bridgewater State Greek Community. Each of the speakers I had for the conference were truly inspiring.
I would like to Thank IFC and Panhel for giving me the opportunity to attend this amazing conference, and meet other brothers of Phi Kappa Theta around the Northeast.
When there is something you are afraid of you must pursue that fear, because it truly is what you need to accomplish in life. Your dreams are never to big to handle. You only need 30 seconds of courage to make a decision to face your fear and follow through.
Here are 10 more things that I took away from this trip in which I won't disregard in my lifetime
1) You can never be perfect but you can strive to be perfect.
2) Everywhere you go regardless, every group you are a part of you will see people engaged at different levels.
3) Easier to be popular, but truthfully harder to be a genuine individual.
4) Take a path in which your heart wants or you will never be happy.
5) What is it that you chase in life?
6) Love yourself. You are a gift nothing would be the same if you didn't exist.
7) Each one of us has the power to change someones life around us for the better.
8) Focus on the good, be positive, get a core group you can build it with and let that spread as well to improve morale in your community.
9) Creativity is about choosing curiosity over fear, over and over again.
10) Be Humble/Be Empowering/Be Relational/Be optimistic with everyone around you.
These are my main points and overall I have a lot more information but this is something I wanted to leave on my blog as a reminder for everyone to remember.
I will never forget the experience I had on this conference. My leadership skills, personal values, and passion have been strongly reinforced from having the opportunity to be here.
If you're reading this I would like you to think of these questions, but for now here are my responses
What do you chase in your life? I chase the ultimate dream of one day reaching a wide audience of individuals through music and changing lives one after the next.
Who do you have in your life that makes you a better individual and pushes you to your fullest potential?
Conor L McDonough
I would like to Thank IFC and Panhel for giving me the opportunity to attend this amazing conference, and meet other brothers of Phi Kappa Theta around the Northeast.
When there is something you are afraid of you must pursue that fear, because it truly is what you need to accomplish in life. Your dreams are never to big to handle. You only need 30 seconds of courage to make a decision to face your fear and follow through.
Here are 10 more things that I took away from this trip in which I won't disregard in my lifetime
1) You can never be perfect but you can strive to be perfect.
2) Everywhere you go regardless, every group you are a part of you will see people engaged at different levels.
3) Easier to be popular, but truthfully harder to be a genuine individual.
4) Take a path in which your heart wants or you will never be happy.
5) What is it that you chase in life?
6) Love yourself. You are a gift nothing would be the same if you didn't exist.
7) Each one of us has the power to change someones life around us for the better.
8) Focus on the good, be positive, get a core group you can build it with and let that spread as well to improve morale in your community.
9) Creativity is about choosing curiosity over fear, over and over again.
10) Be Humble/Be Empowering/Be Relational/Be optimistic with everyone around you.
These are my main points and overall I have a lot more information but this is something I wanted to leave on my blog as a reminder for everyone to remember.
I will never forget the experience I had on this conference. My leadership skills, personal values, and passion have been strongly reinforced from having the opportunity to be here.
If you're reading this I would like you to think of these questions, but for now here are my responses
What do you chase in your life? I chase the ultimate dream of one day reaching a wide audience of individuals through music and changing lives one after the next.
Who do you have in your life that makes you a better individual and pushes you to your fullest potential?
Conor L McDonough
The finale of "The Seminars"
On February 25th 2017 we embarked on the last day of seminars. The keynote speaker this morning was Jeremy Poincenot and he was diagnosed with LHON which is a genetic disease in which you lose central vision. It is incurable. The way this man looked at life entirely regardless of his problems was incredible and eye opening.
His presentation was titled "When Fraternity Really Matters"
He explained how his fraternity brothers helped him and his family from time to time and still as of today. He asked us to think of the following three things for our lives
1) Each one of us has the power to change someone's life
2) Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle
3) focus on the good
Following these three different perspectives will go a long way throughout each day.
My 1st seminar for the day was called "Tradition-Smhadition: Why the world needs creative leaders" ~ Jinahie
This session was a very realistic perspective on leaders in our community and fraternity/sorority life.
She explained there is the traditional leader who goes by delegation and consistent order, and doesn't allow ideas to be fully thought and considered
Then there is the creative leader who allows everyone to be heard and able to have a chance at their idea becoming a reality. This leader is a very positive optimistic one.
Traditional leaders tend to kill creativity and that is a huge problem, creativity is the ability to have different perspectives.
Traditional leadership has it that I am the leader and I have all the ideas, and I will delegate everything and you will go make my vision happen.
Creative leaders also do not gain followers but they instead create more leaders because they are empowering other people to step up by having their ideas heard.
The 2nd seminar was titled "Roberts Rules Presentation and how to make it more effective in the chapter"
Essentially I am already familiar with Roberts rules as my chapter is also. There was some interesting questions from the room though on how to answer and or handle certain situations and I was able to respond thoroughly for that individual with the question.
I learned some new things, but most of it I had known already. The presenter was very good though on the other hand.
My 3rd seminar was titled "Be an action her: The 4 traits of High Impact Leaders"
Justin Jones was probably one of the most enthusiastic presenters at the entire conference. He knew how to connect with the audience between being serious and a comedian. His presentation was very solid and impactful overall. I thoroughly enjoyed his interaction with the crowd and he has bars for dayssssss.
He presented the audience with the 4 traits and analyzed each critically.
The 4th seminar was titled "All Leadership Is Social"
This one was rather interesting and not exactly what I was expecting to get out of it. Essentially it was like tips to get people to open up to you which is great so you can connect with the individual.
The discussion was entirely based a phrase known as Social Excellence
MB Also got the Phillipi Award at the banquet later that night. It goes without saying her hard work is always being recognized.
His presentation was titled "When Fraternity Really Matters"
He explained how his fraternity brothers helped him and his family from time to time and still as of today. He asked us to think of the following three things for our lives
1) Each one of us has the power to change someone's life
2) Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle
3) focus on the good
Following these three different perspectives will go a long way throughout each day.
My 1st seminar for the day was called "Tradition-Smhadition: Why the world needs creative leaders" ~ Jinahie
This session was a very realistic perspective on leaders in our community and fraternity/sorority life.
She explained there is the traditional leader who goes by delegation and consistent order, and doesn't allow ideas to be fully thought and considered
Then there is the creative leader who allows everyone to be heard and able to have a chance at their idea becoming a reality. This leader is a very positive optimistic one.
Traditional leaders tend to kill creativity and that is a huge problem, creativity is the ability to have different perspectives.
Traditional leadership has it that I am the leader and I have all the ideas, and I will delegate everything and you will go make my vision happen.
Creative leaders also do not gain followers but they instead create more leaders because they are empowering other people to step up by having their ideas heard.
The 2nd seminar was titled "Roberts Rules Presentation and how to make it more effective in the chapter"
Essentially I am already familiar with Roberts rules as my chapter is also. There was some interesting questions from the room though on how to answer and or handle certain situations and I was able to respond thoroughly for that individual with the question.
I learned some new things, but most of it I had known already. The presenter was very good though on the other hand.
My 3rd seminar was titled "Be an action her: The 4 traits of High Impact Leaders"
Justin Jones was probably one of the most enthusiastic presenters at the entire conference. He knew how to connect with the audience between being serious and a comedian. His presentation was very solid and impactful overall. I thoroughly enjoyed his interaction with the crowd and he has bars for dayssssss.
He presented the audience with the 4 traits and analyzed each critically.
The 4th seminar was titled "All Leadership Is Social"
This one was rather interesting and not exactly what I was expecting to get out of it. Essentially it was like tips to get people to open up to you which is great so you can connect with the individual.
The discussion was entirely based a phrase known as Social Excellence
MB Also got the Phillipi Award at the banquet later that night. It goes without saying her hard work is always being recognized.
First, I'd like to thank...
Writing my very last blog post is very... bittersweet. As I sit here at BSU, thinking back on one of the most amazing weekends, I can only be thankful for the time that came and went. This trip has taught me so much about myself and my chapter, and I am so rejuvenated and ready to take on issues that I was afraid of before learning through NGLA. In lieu of the Oscars tonight, I would like to thank the academy... just kidding. I'd like to thank Panhellenic and IFC for giving me the opportunity to go on this trip and learn everything I did.
Top TEN favorite things I learned this weekend:
1. To focus on the good, life's too short to do anything else.
2. Confronting the "idiot" in your chapter IS hard, but necessary.
3. Recruitment videos are not the time for glitter and drone shots, instead, it's the time to talk values, philanthropy, and SISTERHOOD.
4. Bear's BBQ in Connecticut is delicious.
5. Questions are important, and so are answers. Making sure everyone in your chapter has a voice is essential.
6. Imma let you finish, but MB is the greatest Greek adviser of all time.
7. Stop with the short cuts, enjoy life just how it is. STUDY & work hard, but have fun (it's possible).
8. Connecticut Convention Center has really really good cheesecake- 10/10 would DEFINITELY recommend.
9. Everyone has a purpose, you just need to recognize what yours is. Find your why- then run with it.
10. Stay gracious.
So thank you, to everyone! I am so happy to have gotten this opportunity. I am thankful for the friendships I have made, the leadership skills I have learned, and the laughs I had. So thanks NGLA, for everything- I'll keep this with me forever.
Top TEN favorite things I learned this weekend:
1. To focus on the good, life's too short to do anything else.
2. Confronting the "idiot" in your chapter IS hard, but necessary.
3. Recruitment videos are not the time for glitter and drone shots, instead, it's the time to talk values, philanthropy, and SISTERHOOD.
4. Bear's BBQ in Connecticut is delicious.
5. Questions are important, and so are answers. Making sure everyone in your chapter has a voice is essential.
6. Imma let you finish, but MB is the greatest Greek adviser of all time.
7. Stop with the short cuts, enjoy life just how it is. STUDY & work hard, but have fun (it's possible).
8. Connecticut Convention Center has really really good cheesecake- 10/10 would DEFINITELY recommend.
9. Everyone has a purpose, you just need to recognize what yours is. Find your why- then run with it.
10. Stay gracious.
So thank you, to everyone! I am so happy to have gotten this opportunity. I am thankful for the friendships I have made, the leadership skills I have learned, and the laughs I had. So thanks NGLA, for everything- I'll keep this with me forever.
Hakuna Matata
To reflect back on my time at NGLA I would first like to congratulate MB for winning the Philippi Award, your hard work and dedication to our greek community does not go unnoticed!
Secondly, I am so thankful for this experience as I have been able to bond with other members of the Greek Community making me feel even more comfortable here at Bridgewater. It was also really awesome to be able to bond with my Gamma Phi Family (Bree and Emma). I am so happy to be apart of such a tight knit community working together to be the best student leaders we can be!
Thirdly, I feel as though NGLA taught me so much about being a leader. The main point that really stuck with me revolves around the word Accountability. This is especially important to holding myself and my sisters accountable in upholding the highest type of womanhood and living our values each and everyday. Through scholarship plan advice, working with middle and bottom third members and the importance of improv in handling certain situations I feel that all presentations related back to being held accountable. As a leader I will use the skills and tactics to continue to improve and learn and grow within my chapter and in the greek community.
Lastly, I would love to have James Robilotta come and speak on campus. I really loves how he used humor and kept us engaged while still talking about leadership building, and privilege. His unique way of presenting would really make an impact on our campus!
Also, after reading all of these blogposts I realized that my NGLA peers are way more funny than I am and that Disney movie music is the best kind of music oh and dunkins is better than starbucks!
xoxo,
Kailynn
Secondly, I am so thankful for this experience as I have been able to bond with other members of the Greek Community making me feel even more comfortable here at Bridgewater. It was also really awesome to be able to bond with my Gamma Phi Family (Bree and Emma). I am so happy to be apart of such a tight knit community working together to be the best student leaders we can be!
Thirdly, I feel as though NGLA taught me so much about being a leader. The main point that really stuck with me revolves around the word Accountability. This is especially important to holding myself and my sisters accountable in upholding the highest type of womanhood and living our values each and everyday. Through scholarship plan advice, working with middle and bottom third members and the importance of improv in handling certain situations I feel that all presentations related back to being held accountable. As a leader I will use the skills and tactics to continue to improve and learn and grow within my chapter and in the greek community.
Lastly, I would love to have James Robilotta come and speak on campus. I really loves how he used humor and kept us engaged while still talking about leadership building, and privilege. His unique way of presenting would really make an impact on our campus!
Also, after reading all of these blogposts I realized that my NGLA peers are way more funny than I am and that Disney movie music is the best kind of music oh and dunkins is better than starbucks!
xoxo,
Kailynn
Improv and leadership (communication lubricant)
Day 3 of NGLA was a success, so successful that I fell asleep last night before writing a blog post. During the last session of day 3 I learned a lot about improv and leadership which the speaker called "communication lubricant". In order for improv to be successful you must build trust and teamwork amongst your sisterhood and in my case the executive terms as well. The use of improv helps to create less "emergencies" and creates a more comfortable "unknown". Giving support to my sisters involves listening, and moving away from the concept of doing things the way we have always done it. To be supportive or your sisters you must take their problem solving ideas and put them to use. Good leaders ask questions in the right way, getting the most out of their members. The most important lesson I learned was to Commit to things and don't Comment, when action needs to be taken we must challenge our sisters to achieve more.
Life is an Open Door
Day 4: The departure - 12:42
So today we woke up, packed our stuff and left the hotel at 9:00 on the dot.
On the trip there was some wack music being played and a few of us IFC men decided that complaining wasn't going to make change. As Gandi once said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." In that spirit, we took to the iPhones and Laptops and started a revolution. After a battle of the bands style face-off with the people in power, they began to see our side and validate our opinions. Once we got some well deserved payback, we decided that it was time to come to a compromise as we played Hakuna Matata for the homestretch of our NGLA '17 adventure.
All in all, this conference was truly eye-opening. I loved having the opportunity to hear so many motivational speakers passing on knowledge to me and inspiring me to crave change in my chapter and the overarching Bridgewater State University community as a whole.
I can honestly say that this is a time that I will never forget. The bonding experience with other Greek members was unparalleled by anything I have ever experienced to this point. With opportunities like such as this one, having an open mind is important, but having an open door is what really matters.
If you ever get the opportunity to attend NGLA, open the door.
Over and out,
Tristen
So today we woke up, packed our stuff and left the hotel at 9:00 on the dot.
On the trip there was some wack music being played and a few of us IFC men decided that complaining wasn't going to make change. As Gandi once said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." In that spirit, we took to the iPhones and Laptops and started a revolution. After a battle of the bands style face-off with the people in power, they began to see our side and validate our opinions. Once we got some well deserved payback, we decided that it was time to come to a compromise as we played Hakuna Matata for the homestretch of our NGLA '17 adventure.
All in all, this conference was truly eye-opening. I loved having the opportunity to hear so many motivational speakers passing on knowledge to me and inspiring me to crave change in my chapter and the overarching Bridgewater State University community as a whole.
I can honestly say that this is a time that I will never forget. The bonding experience with other Greek members was unparalleled by anything I have ever experienced to this point. With opportunities like such as this one, having an open mind is important, but having an open door is what really matters.
If you ever get the opportunity to attend NGLA, open the door.
Over and out,
Tristen
Red Shirt, Brown Pants
Day 3 - 11:40 pm
Woke up bright and early to go listen to our daily keynote speaker.
This morning we were blessed to listen to a professional blind golfer. This golfer was perhaps the single most inspiring man I have ever heard deliver a speech. He spilled his heart and soul out to us as he explained to us the story of going from a typical college student to an extraordinary man with a rare disease that only effects 1 in 50,000 people.
After than I attended a number of meetings regarding how to improve a number of different aspects regarding a chapter's well-being. Everything from scholarship to the uncomfortable issue of addressing bad brothers was discussed.
Perhaps my biggest take away from those meetings was the fact that scholarship programs need to be more personalized. The idea of breaking into teams in order to hold people more accountable to one another was brought up and I discovered that teams are the answer to the majority of problems in chapter life. By dividing into small teams and reporting back to one another the level of accountability is raised drastically.
Another major take away from the day was that "wearing your red shirt and brown pants" is the best way to lead. The red shirt is so that your brother's don't see the blood when you bleed and the brown pants are for... well, I think you catch the drift here. Being optimistic and hopeful is key in order to succeed. If you can't envision it, you can't achieve it.
Got to meet some newly initiated brothers of Kappa Delta Phi from other chapters at other schools as we shared lunch, pretty cool.
Special shoutout here to MB for winning an award for being a great adviser.
Another special shoutout to the Connecticut Conference Center for finally giving us a good meal. Chicken piccata for dinner was *fire emoji* while the vegetarian lasagna for lunch was *poop emoji*.
All in all, solid day.
Signing off,
Tristen
Woke up bright and early to go listen to our daily keynote speaker.
This morning we were blessed to listen to a professional blind golfer. This golfer was perhaps the single most inspiring man I have ever heard deliver a speech. He spilled his heart and soul out to us as he explained to us the story of going from a typical college student to an extraordinary man with a rare disease that only effects 1 in 50,000 people.
After than I attended a number of meetings regarding how to improve a number of different aspects regarding a chapter's well-being. Everything from scholarship to the uncomfortable issue of addressing bad brothers was discussed.
Perhaps my biggest take away from those meetings was the fact that scholarship programs need to be more personalized. The idea of breaking into teams in order to hold people more accountable to one another was brought up and I discovered that teams are the answer to the majority of problems in chapter life. By dividing into small teams and reporting back to one another the level of accountability is raised drastically.
Another major take away from the day was that "wearing your red shirt and brown pants" is the best way to lead. The red shirt is so that your brother's don't see the blood when you bleed and the brown pants are for... well, I think you catch the drift here. Being optimistic and hopeful is key in order to succeed. If you can't envision it, you can't achieve it.
Got to meet some newly initiated brothers of Kappa Delta Phi from other chapters at other schools as we shared lunch, pretty cool.
Special shoutout here to MB for winning an award for being a great adviser.
Another special shoutout to the Connecticut Conference Center for finally giving us a good meal. Chicken piccata for dinner was *fire emoji* while the vegetarian lasagna for lunch was *poop emoji*.
All in all, solid day.
Signing off,
Tristen
NGLA is closing , our door is still open
(side note , the font changed half way through and I do not how to fix it)Day three of the conference has come to a close. Tomorrow we start our journey back to Bridgewater. Today once again started bright and early, our keynote speaker was honestly one of the most inspirational person I have ever heard speak. It was Jeremy Poincenot, a man who went legally blind at the age of 19 and instead of falling apart and giving up he turned his life in to a way to change others people life. After that we went to four different sessions and to be honest I found all of them extremely beneficial. I learned a lot from these sessions to take back and hopefully improve our school. I really enjoyed this weekend mainly because I had fun meeting with other greeks both from BSU and on the northeast. I got a bunch of free letters, and made connections. Lunch was horrible if I am going to be honest. It was lasagna with some weird vegetables inside. However dinner was delicious it was some chicken with rice. MB won an award so thats pretty awesome. After the dinner we tried to go to the BBQ place from Thursday, still my favorite part of this trip because it was so delicious. Tristen,Frankie John and myself have convinced eight people that our door is open and they would walk into it which made us laugh every time. Overall this trip was truly beneficial however. I have a ton of ideas i want to bring back to BSU and my aspirations for future leadership positions at Bridgewater has not changed but intensifies.
There is no door in 628
With NGLA coming to a close today, the guest speakers were really great today. The day started at 8 in the morning with a trip to Dunkin Donuts. The closet one to the hotel is closed on the weekend. It was very confusing with a Dunkin Donuts being closed on a weekend. We talked to the next closest which was only an extra minute but still very annoying. We passed by the Brazilian Consulate on our way back.
The keynote speaker this morning, Jeremy Poincenot, was truly inspiring. The only flaw was that he made a Patriots jokes. He talked about how he was became blind at the age of 19. He talked about how he grew because of it and how he is glad he became blind. I am really glad that he spoke.
The scholastic speaker was interesting but he didnt like the fact he used GPA to measure standard. I believe we need the GPA as a minimum but we could do more to reach out to individual brothers about academic schedule.
The confronting the idiot session was the most interesting and the greatest use. He talks about tips for having a discussion and how to help brothers. He was the best speaker I had and he was the biggest help and definitely needs to come to BSU.
Letters that last a lifetime was interesting but didnt really focus on the alumni portion of it. I wished it focused more on the alumni events.
The improv class was really interesting and the guy leading it was really fun.
MB won an award and it was really great. The affiliation lunch was fun to talk to other brothers and see what they do.
The door is always open people.
The keynote speaker this morning, Jeremy Poincenot, was truly inspiring. The only flaw was that he made a Patriots jokes. He talked about how he was became blind at the age of 19. He talked about how he grew because of it and how he is glad he became blind. I am really glad that he spoke.
The scholastic speaker was interesting but he didnt like the fact he used GPA to measure standard. I believe we need the GPA as a minimum but we could do more to reach out to individual brothers about academic schedule.
The confronting the idiot session was the most interesting and the greatest use. He talks about tips for having a discussion and how to help brothers. He was the best speaker I had and he was the biggest help and definitely needs to come to BSU.
Letters that last a lifetime was interesting but didnt really focus on the alumni portion of it. I wished it focused more on the alumni events.
The improv class was really interesting and the guy leading it was really fun.
MB won an award and it was really great. The affiliation lunch was fun to talk to other brothers and see what they do.
The door is always open people.
In Hartford, Dunks isn't open on the weekends
NGLA day 3 was a success! All the sessions I attended today were helpful. I am eager to bring all the information back the President of my chapter (hi Haylee), and to the Panhellenic community. However, the most influential speaker today was our keynote speaker, Jeremy Poincenot. His story was unique, authentic and eye opening.
From first appearances, Jeremy seemed to be your typical, average all American guy. He dressed appropriately, attained a degree from a university and was full of charisma.
During the presentation however, everyone quickly learned that Jeremy Poincenot was not your all American guy.
In the year 2008, Jeremy was diagnosed with Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON). He explained that it is a rare disease that causes someone to lose their central vision. On average, it affects 1 in 50,000 people. Jeremy was only 19 years old at the time. He was a college student and recently joined the Sigma Epsilon Fraternity at his school. He went from having perfect 20/20 vision to becoming legally blind in the span of two months. He decided to drop out of school and sit around at home. One day however, changed his life.
He told us that he was listening to the news one afternoon and heard a story that steared him in the right direction. The news story was about a man's family and four of his family members dying in a plane crash. The man was publicized on television. Rather than the man talking about the sorrows from the recent tradegy, the man asked one simple question. He asked for help, help to cope with the struggles he was undergoing. That moment, that very moment, was the key point in Jeremy's life that made me stop complaining about his loss of vision. It was that moment he started to put things in other people's perspectives. He realized that people around us are struggling, have it worse, and most importantly have a story. He decided to take the negative and turn it to a positive.
Aside from hearing the news story, there was one more helping factor that made Jeremy the man he is today. His fraternity brother, Josh reached out to him. Josh told him to come back to school, take 2 easy classes with him and together they could work through any problems that may arise. With hard work and determination, Jeremy passed those classes and was on his way to success, a successful life without his central vission. He wouldn't have done it without Josh.
In the presentation, he mentioned, " we are so inwardly focused, we don't focus on other people."
I thought about this for a moment, I thought about this throughout the rest of the day, and I'm currently thinking about this now as I continue to write this blogpost. As much as we don't want to admit it, human nature is very naturally self-centered. What about the other people in our lives? Our friends, family, significant others, fraternity brothers and sorority sisters? What about everyone else around us? We are so quick to assume what someone else's story is, that we don't hesitate to make prejudgements. We also don't give enough attention to people. We have a chance to change someone's life and make an impact.
Everyone you meet is going through something, whether they wear it on their sleeve, or bottle it up. As leaders on campus, as community members on campus, it is important to be kind. Just like Jeremy's story, we can't automatically assume someone else's story based on first appearences.
Ever since Elementary school, we've heard the quote, "don't judge it's book by it's cover." So why don't we continue to abide by the quote that we learned during our day 1 of schooling?
Jeremy's presentation was impactful, informational and more importantly a reminder to the first thing I learned in school. As members of the Bridgewater community, we need to be open to listen to other people's stories. We all talk about being authentic, being a leader, striving to be the best possible you. Well, how can we achieve that if our main focus is ourselves?
I want to challenege the community. Talk to someone you don't normally talk to, whether it is in your chapter or in line waiting for food at Bear's Den. Reach out to someone you know is struggling with something and ask if there's anything you can do. Hear people's stories.
Overall, NGLA has been an incredible experience. Not only does it promote growth, development and leadership, but it also promotes and reminds us to to be a human being with morals.
From first appearances, Jeremy seemed to be your typical, average all American guy. He dressed appropriately, attained a degree from a university and was full of charisma.
During the presentation however, everyone quickly learned that Jeremy Poincenot was not your all American guy.
In the year 2008, Jeremy was diagnosed with Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON). He explained that it is a rare disease that causes someone to lose their central vision. On average, it affects 1 in 50,000 people. Jeremy was only 19 years old at the time. He was a college student and recently joined the Sigma Epsilon Fraternity at his school. He went from having perfect 20/20 vision to becoming legally blind in the span of two months. He decided to drop out of school and sit around at home. One day however, changed his life.
He told us that he was listening to the news one afternoon and heard a story that steared him in the right direction. The news story was about a man's family and four of his family members dying in a plane crash. The man was publicized on television. Rather than the man talking about the sorrows from the recent tradegy, the man asked one simple question. He asked for help, help to cope with the struggles he was undergoing. That moment, that very moment, was the key point in Jeremy's life that made me stop complaining about his loss of vision. It was that moment he started to put things in other people's perspectives. He realized that people around us are struggling, have it worse, and most importantly have a story. He decided to take the negative and turn it to a positive.
Aside from hearing the news story, there was one more helping factor that made Jeremy the man he is today. His fraternity brother, Josh reached out to him. Josh told him to come back to school, take 2 easy classes with him and together they could work through any problems that may arise. With hard work and determination, Jeremy passed those classes and was on his way to success, a successful life without his central vission. He wouldn't have done it without Josh.
In the presentation, he mentioned, " we are so inwardly focused, we don't focus on other people."
I thought about this for a moment, I thought about this throughout the rest of the day, and I'm currently thinking about this now as I continue to write this blogpost. As much as we don't want to admit it, human nature is very naturally self-centered. What about the other people in our lives? Our friends, family, significant others, fraternity brothers and sorority sisters? What about everyone else around us? We are so quick to assume what someone else's story is, that we don't hesitate to make prejudgements. We also don't give enough attention to people. We have a chance to change someone's life and make an impact.
Everyone you meet is going through something, whether they wear it on their sleeve, or bottle it up. As leaders on campus, as community members on campus, it is important to be kind. Just like Jeremy's story, we can't automatically assume someone else's story based on first appearences.
Ever since Elementary school, we've heard the quote, "don't judge it's book by it's cover." So why don't we continue to abide by the quote that we learned during our day 1 of schooling?
Jeremy's presentation was impactful, informational and more importantly a reminder to the first thing I learned in school. As members of the Bridgewater community, we need to be open to listen to other people's stories. We all talk about being authentic, being a leader, striving to be the best possible you. Well, how can we achieve that if our main focus is ourselves?
I want to challenege the community. Talk to someone you don't normally talk to, whether it is in your chapter or in line waiting for food at Bear's Den. Reach out to someone you know is struggling with something and ask if there's anything you can do. Hear people's stories.
Overall, NGLA has been an incredible experience. Not only does it promote growth, development and leadership, but it also promotes and reminds us to to be a human being with morals.
**However, even though we all learned and gained so much throughout this opportunity, we're still dysfunctional as ever.**
Fancy Butter
Saturday, February 25th, 2017
Yes... fancy butter. But I will get into that...
Today was a good day overall, the opening keynote speaker was very moving. Jeremy Poincenot from CampusSpeak presented "When Fraternity Really Matters" and told the audience the story of how he became legally blind at the age of 19. He was diagnosed with a genetic condition called LHON that caused his direct sight to fade and blur. He can now only see out of his peripheral vision. In his take, one of the main takeaways was that each one of us has the power to change someone's life. We should always be kind, for everyone we meet is fighting a hard battle. We must focus on the good, be happy where we are with what we have, and enjoy the present. This all really hit home for me. It was almost like a kick in the ass for me. I thought about it a lot today and reflected on myself for most of it. I felt as though these words were intended for me to hear. I really needed it personally and it has thus far boosted my mood and entire day. It's time for a change of mindset.
Continuing on into the first institute of the day, I attended the "Wellbeing: Taking Time to Take Care of You" session facilitated by Sydney Vandeveer and Megan Foster. This session was the most amazing session of the entire day in my opinion. I felt like it helped me plot out my future, get some helpful hints on how to prioritize my life and my goals, as well as teach me a few things about my work ethic and how to take care of myself personally.
After this, I attended "Cut the SH!T - Peer Accountability" by Ashley Rastetter and the session was informative for me from listening to other members in the room. I thought the presentation was poorly composed and executed, in my opinion. Though the session had great intent, the crowd gathering clearly showed the importance of this topic, the session needed to be altered in order to encompass the topic and its many independent areas. The session was mostly telling us to set guidelines and check-in personally with members. I only thought this was ineffective because it was likely that most of the people attending this session had already tried this (I know I have).
After this was lunch~~~~ THE BEST TIME OF THE DAY. EXCEPT THEY RUINED IT WITH VEGETABLES. :( I just wanted more sandwiches... we all can't win and that's okay, I'll deal.
Next session was "Why We Need To Talk With Our Members About Race". This session was very informative and extremely uncomfortable at times for many of the members in the audience. The discussion was productive in areas and counterintuitive in others. It was noticeable the discomfort of many people and it was called out at one point. I felt fine in my opinion, but I could understand the situation from both perspectives. The topic pushed the idea of anti-racism instead of non-racism being a persons "go-to" default. If everyone had the conversations and took anti-racist actions, the world would get progressively better in terms of racial divides.
The last session I attended at NGLA was, "IMPROV YOUR CHAPTER" and this session was absolutely amazing. James Robilotta was such a funny and influential speaker as well as comedian. He led the discussion in such a way that you almost forgot this was about greek life and the greek community until he wrapped it all together after each point. The session was funny, engaging and overall a great time. He really made the experience at NGLA for me with his comedic commentary throughout.
At the end of the night, we had the Awards Banquet. This was a great meal and award ceremony and Maribeth Flakes took home the Phillipi Award for being the Best Advisor in the World. She's a super hero to the BSU community and I will forever be thankful for her support and work. The dinner was delicious. There was little butter slices on the table that had the conference centers logo engraved into it. It was very strange yet oddly satisfying. I hated destroying it, but I ate a lot of bread so it was absolutely necessary to do so.
This last day of NGLA was great. I enjoyed my time here so much and I hope to someday contribute more to the organization and event in whatever way I can.
Yes... fancy butter. But I will get into that...
Today was a good day overall, the opening keynote speaker was very moving. Jeremy Poincenot from CampusSpeak presented "When Fraternity Really Matters" and told the audience the story of how he became legally blind at the age of 19. He was diagnosed with a genetic condition called LHON that caused his direct sight to fade and blur. He can now only see out of his peripheral vision. In his take, one of the main takeaways was that each one of us has the power to change someone's life. We should always be kind, for everyone we meet is fighting a hard battle. We must focus on the good, be happy where we are with what we have, and enjoy the present. This all really hit home for me. It was almost like a kick in the ass for me. I thought about it a lot today and reflected on myself for most of it. I felt as though these words were intended for me to hear. I really needed it personally and it has thus far boosted my mood and entire day. It's time for a change of mindset.
Continuing on into the first institute of the day, I attended the "Wellbeing: Taking Time to Take Care of You" session facilitated by Sydney Vandeveer and Megan Foster. This session was the most amazing session of the entire day in my opinion. I felt like it helped me plot out my future, get some helpful hints on how to prioritize my life and my goals, as well as teach me a few things about my work ethic and how to take care of myself personally.
After this, I attended "Cut the SH!T - Peer Accountability" by Ashley Rastetter and the session was informative for me from listening to other members in the room. I thought the presentation was poorly composed and executed, in my opinion. Though the session had great intent, the crowd gathering clearly showed the importance of this topic, the session needed to be altered in order to encompass the topic and its many independent areas. The session was mostly telling us to set guidelines and check-in personally with members. I only thought this was ineffective because it was likely that most of the people attending this session had already tried this (I know I have).
After this was lunch~~~~ THE BEST TIME OF THE DAY. EXCEPT THEY RUINED IT WITH VEGETABLES. :( I just wanted more sandwiches... we all can't win and that's okay, I'll deal.
Next session was "Why We Need To Talk With Our Members About Race". This session was very informative and extremely uncomfortable at times for many of the members in the audience. The discussion was productive in areas and counterintuitive in others. It was noticeable the discomfort of many people and it was called out at one point. I felt fine in my opinion, but I could understand the situation from both perspectives. The topic pushed the idea of anti-racism instead of non-racism being a persons "go-to" default. If everyone had the conversations and took anti-racist actions, the world would get progressively better in terms of racial divides.
The last session I attended at NGLA was, "IMPROV YOUR CHAPTER" and this session was absolutely amazing. James Robilotta was such a funny and influential speaker as well as comedian. He led the discussion in such a way that you almost forgot this was about greek life and the greek community until he wrapped it all together after each point. The session was funny, engaging and overall a great time. He really made the experience at NGLA for me with his comedic commentary throughout.
At the end of the night, we had the Awards Banquet. This was a great meal and award ceremony and Maribeth Flakes took home the Phillipi Award for being the Best Advisor in the World. She's a super hero to the BSU community and I will forever be thankful for her support and work. The dinner was delicious. There was little butter slices on the table that had the conference centers logo engraved into it. It was very strange yet oddly satisfying. I hated destroying it, but I ate a lot of bread so it was absolutely necessary to do so.
This last day of NGLA was great. I enjoyed my time here so much and I hope to someday contribute more to the organization and event in whatever way I can.
Would you really be surprised that I was 5 minutes late to a session because I was in the completely wrong building???
Day 3! It was harder to get up today. Yesterday was a long one.
I really enjoyed my first session because it was a Panhellenic panel! It was basically presidents sharing what they struggle with in their university'a council and it was very informative and helpful. Like I learned that NPHC individuals can be represented at Panhel and hold positions, as long as they aren't president, a VP of recruitment, or a recruitment counselor. They would also have to be the only multicultural based organization on campus. I learned that BU has their Panhel meetings at 9:15pm. That's whack. On my way out of my first session I made a stop at the Greek boutique because I caved and bought one of the water bottles. I wanted to get the panhel crest on it, but for some reason they couldn't do that so I just got a monogram of ΑΣΤ. I scored the last sparkly pink one.
Sooooo I thought my next room was on the other side of the conference center which was a hike away from where I was, but when I got there I realized that I had mixed up my session room numbers and had to haul ass to a room that was in a totally different building. When I got to the correct room I couldn't even get in because there were so many people. It was a fire hazard. For real. But it was another presentation by TJ Sullivan so I was determined to stay. Because I wasn't even through the doors I couldn't hear anything and it didn't help that the guys standing next to me wouldn't shut up so I scanned the room, noticed another set of doors and made a B line for them. I definitely had to go through a set of doors that were for restricted personnel only to get to the actual doors I needed to go to to get inside the room, but you gotta do what you gotta do. It was worth it because TJ is an amazing speaker and I learned strategies that would not only help me as a chapter officer, but surprisingly also as an RA.
Food wise, lunch was weird. I did however get the opportunity to speak to one of my sisters at the AST luncheon who is the Panhellenic president at her university. She helped me weigh the pros and cons of being a Panhellenic president and being a chapter president, and gave me some more insight into the thoughts I've been trying to juggle recently.
After lunch I went to pick up my new water bottle and for a while I didn't understand the hype of these "swell" water bottles, but NOW?! Let me tell ya! Keeps everything ice cold. Huge fan. After lunch we went to two more sessions. I attended another Panhel meeting and a panel about what it's like to be an FSL professional.
Easily the best part of the day was at the awards dinner when I got to see MB's face when they announced her name to receive the Philippi award! She is truly an outstanding and dedicated advisor and she deserved this and so much more! Great way to end our time here at NGLA.
I really enjoyed my first session because it was a Panhellenic panel! It was basically presidents sharing what they struggle with in their university'a council and it was very informative and helpful. Like I learned that NPHC individuals can be represented at Panhel and hold positions, as long as they aren't president, a VP of recruitment, or a recruitment counselor. They would also have to be the only multicultural based organization on campus. I learned that BU has their Panhel meetings at 9:15pm. That's whack. On my way out of my first session I made a stop at the Greek boutique because I caved and bought one of the water bottles. I wanted to get the panhel crest on it, but for some reason they couldn't do that so I just got a monogram of ΑΣΤ. I scored the last sparkly pink one.
Sooooo I thought my next room was on the other side of the conference center which was a hike away from where I was, but when I got there I realized that I had mixed up my session room numbers and had to haul ass to a room that was in a totally different building. When I got to the correct room I couldn't even get in because there were so many people. It was a fire hazard. For real. But it was another presentation by TJ Sullivan so I was determined to stay. Because I wasn't even through the doors I couldn't hear anything and it didn't help that the guys standing next to me wouldn't shut up so I scanned the room, noticed another set of doors and made a B line for them. I definitely had to go through a set of doors that were for restricted personnel only to get to the actual doors I needed to go to to get inside the room, but you gotta do what you gotta do. It was worth it because TJ is an amazing speaker and I learned strategies that would not only help me as a chapter officer, but surprisingly also as an RA.
Food wise, lunch was weird. I did however get the opportunity to speak to one of my sisters at the AST luncheon who is the Panhellenic president at her university. She helped me weigh the pros and cons of being a Panhellenic president and being a chapter president, and gave me some more insight into the thoughts I've been trying to juggle recently.
After lunch I went to pick up my new water bottle and for a while I didn't understand the hype of these "swell" water bottles, but NOW?! Let me tell ya! Keeps everything ice cold. Huge fan. After lunch we went to two more sessions. I attended another Panhel meeting and a panel about what it's like to be an FSL professional.
Easily the best part of the day was at the awards dinner when I got to see MB's face when they announced her name to receive the Philippi award! She is truly an outstanding and dedicated advisor and she deserved this and so much more! Great way to end our time here at NGLA.
Saturday, February 25, 2017
Be Kind
Today gave me a realization of the kind of Greek leader I want to be. As our last day began and ended, I found myself always reminded of how lucky I am to lead my chapter. Being a Gamma Phi Beta, well, being a Greek in general has made me realize how much of an impact I can make with the voice that I have.
Today started out with a keynote speaker named Jeremy Poincet. He is a man who lost most of his sight when he was a teenager and since then has realized what life is actually about. He shared with us that we must enjoy the time we have now for that's really every thing we've got. We cannot go on day to day worrying about minor things when their are real issues to be dealt with, actal memories to be made, and a life to live that you are lucky enough to have. Having a man who lost his vision and so much independence in his life tell me that life is too short to waste on pessimism really resonated with me... it is almost as if I couldn't take what he was saying for granted. He reminded us to focus on the good, rather than perfection.
This weekend has really taught me that it is okay to have such high standards for myself, but if life doesn't work out how I wrote it down in my planner- that's okay too. Life is more about giving help to others and being okay with asking for help. I have learned how to be a leader. My one wish this weekend was to be able to learn how to lead for the betterment of the chapter in mind.
One of my favorite presentations of today was "Improv your Chapter" by James T Robbilotta. Through a session of improv games and laughter, he taught us so much about communication skills. In my chapter, it is important to realize that EVERYONE should have a voice, not just eboard, and not just our adviser. He taught us that positive reinforcement is necessary, and people need to feel listened to to feel respected. It sounds like such common sense but jeez, when you are in that room listening to someone speak so passionately- you can't help but realize how much you can improve on.
I cannot even begin to describe my experience at NGLA. I have made friendships and realization about myself to help better mold myself into the person I want to be. Maybe I'm not there, and maybe I don't know exactly where I'm going from here-- but after this weekend, I know that I'm going somewhere and I have some amazing Greek leaders by my side and for THAT, I'm pretty darn thankful to be a bear.
NGLA Day 3!
Today was our last day of getting to attend sessions and I can say that I definitely learned a lot from attending NGLA!
My sessions today included getting to learn about how to lead effectively and learning on how to "deal with the idiots" (that was the actual name of the session). In both of these particular sessions the presenters had high energy which kept me interested in the presentation, but they also offered up extremely relevant information.
For example, in the seminar that was about "dealing with idiots", our presenter gave us various tips on how we should confront a member if their behavior is not upholding the values of the organization. Some of these tips included creating a power balance and being able to anticipate any possible response from said member.
We also was able to attend the awards banquet tonight which was a lot of fun! At the table I sat at, we also got to sit with 3 individuals from RPI. It was a nice opportunity to get to talk to a few members of other organizations. It was also super amazing to get to see MB win an award tonight!
NGLA has been an amazing experience and I can't believe it is over and we are going home tomorrow!
My sessions today included getting to learn about how to lead effectively and learning on how to "deal with the idiots" (that was the actual name of the session). In both of these particular sessions the presenters had high energy which kept me interested in the presentation, but they also offered up extremely relevant information.
For example, in the seminar that was about "dealing with idiots", our presenter gave us various tips on how we should confront a member if their behavior is not upholding the values of the organization. Some of these tips included creating a power balance and being able to anticipate any possible response from said member.
We also was able to attend the awards banquet tonight which was a lot of fun! At the table I sat at, we also got to sit with 3 individuals from RPI. It was a nice opportunity to get to talk to a few members of other organizations. It was also super amazing to get to see MB win an award tonight!
NGLA has been an amazing experience and I can't believe it is over and we are going home tomorrow!
Day 2 The day After Day 1
On February 24th 2017 we started out with an Opening Keynote titled "Social Change Leadership 2.0"
There was some rather informative points in which he covered and had the crowd definitely change their personal views on some matters. His name was Joshua Fredenburg as a speaker he was very motivating and highly inspiring. He has a book published titled "Are you the worlds next top leader".
Here is a question that h posed to the audience shortly after the introduction
If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?
The greatest gift the presentation gave to the audience was really reminding all of us of who we truly are. Essentially never forget where we come from.
He was a very impressive and empowering speaker.
A really great quote that he displayed was that "Your value in life is determined by the problems you solve through your gift" ~Myles Munroe
The 2nd Information Session I attended was NGLA Institute 3- Motivating the Middle: Fighting Apathy in Your Chapter ~ TJ Sullivan
TJ has a book published titled "Motivating The Middle"
This presentation truthfully examined chapters between fraternities/sororities discussing the member breakdown. Those who are the Top Third, Middle Third, and Bottom Third. The information was very informative and quite the impact. It was a great observation of everyone to have for their chapter and how to handle and approach certain situations from within. Lack of morale etc.
He also broke down the mistakes of each different member type that they could possibly make towards the other. What did they like and what did they not like?
The third event I attended was titled "7 Keys to crushing your philanthropy event: Proven Strategies TO Take Your Philanthropy To The Next Level"
Explained most issues when someone tries to create a philanthropy event
Discussed how to inspire competition amongst your chapter for fundraising during the event
Marketing/Technological use is of the most importance when it comes to your philanthropic event
Be aware to showcase the actual cause and not just that your hosting an event.
Accountability for fundraising is also a huge thing he emphasized. Find a way to even offer incentives for fundraising.
The final event I had attended on February 24th 2017 was "Inspire Integrity"
It was actually a very inspiring discussion along with all the others.
Emphasizing to live in your means and how it's easier to be other people than it really is yourself sometimes.
Explained that you need to follow what your heart wants. What do you truly want to go after in life
If you go after that then you will never care about the challenge ahead,
Living within your means truly teaches you to quit a job that you do not like.
There was a question posed that I felt had personally made me reflect a lot. That question was "What do you chase"
View life differently than other people do
Spoke about the importance of prioritizing certain parts of your life, and not what you want others to think you prioritize because that's the general expectation of society.
He asked us to think about three things as we walked out of here today
1) Who do you have in your life that forces you to think deeply
2) Does something every day have your emotions stirred? Something needs to give you goosebumps.
3) Be able and willing to laugh at yourself. Life is short and fleeting. Don't stress over your mistakes and flaws but be able to laugh about them eventually.
There was some rather informative points in which he covered and had the crowd definitely change their personal views on some matters. His name was Joshua Fredenburg as a speaker he was very motivating and highly inspiring. He has a book published titled "Are you the worlds next top leader".
Here is a question that h posed to the audience shortly after the introduction
If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?
- Get rid of stigmas
- less hate and more happiness
- women viewed more positive in stem fields
The greatest gift the presentation gave to the audience was really reminding all of us of who we truly are. Essentially never forget where we come from.
He was a very impressive and empowering speaker.
A really great quote that he displayed was that "Your value in life is determined by the problems you solve through your gift" ~Myles Munroe
The 2nd Information Session I attended was NGLA Institute 3- Motivating the Middle: Fighting Apathy in Your Chapter ~ TJ Sullivan
TJ has a book published titled "Motivating The Middle"
This presentation truthfully examined chapters between fraternities/sororities discussing the member breakdown. Those who are the Top Third, Middle Third, and Bottom Third. The information was very informative and quite the impact. It was a great observation of everyone to have for their chapter and how to handle and approach certain situations from within. Lack of morale etc.
He also broke down the mistakes of each different member type that they could possibly make towards the other. What did they like and what did they not like?
The third event I attended was titled "7 Keys to crushing your philanthropy event: Proven Strategies TO Take Your Philanthropy To The Next Level"
Explained most issues when someone tries to create a philanthropy event
Discussed how to inspire competition amongst your chapter for fundraising during the event
Marketing/Technological use is of the most importance when it comes to your philanthropic event
Be aware to showcase the actual cause and not just that your hosting an event.
Accountability for fundraising is also a huge thing he emphasized. Find a way to even offer incentives for fundraising.
The final event I had attended on February 24th 2017 was "Inspire Integrity"
It was actually a very inspiring discussion along with all the others.
Emphasizing to live in your means and how it's easier to be other people than it really is yourself sometimes.
Explained that you need to follow what your heart wants. What do you truly want to go after in life
If you go after that then you will never care about the challenge ahead,
Living within your means truly teaches you to quit a job that you do not like.
There was a question posed that I felt had personally made me reflect a lot. That question was "What do you chase"
View life differently than other people do
Spoke about the importance of prioritizing certain parts of your life, and not what you want others to think you prioritize because that's the general expectation of society.
He asked us to think about three things as we walked out of here today
1) Who do you have in your life that forces you to think deeply
2) Does something every day have your emotions stirred? Something needs to give you goosebumps.
3) Be able and willing to laugh at yourself. Life is short and fleeting. Don't stress over your mistakes and flaws but be able to laugh about them eventually.
NGLA Day 3
This morning's speaker was very inspiring wih his personal story about becoming legally blind, and finding a way to accept that and make his life better.
The first session I went to this morning was about recruitment videos. The speakers talked about the educational and marketing aspect of making recruitment videos. I think it will really help our future recruitment videos and the Membership Recruitment Chair working with the PR chair for next recruitment.
My favorite part of today was the Affilitation lunch where we sat with members of our organization from chapters at other schools. There were about 33 Phi Sigs and they only assigned one table for us with 10 seats, but after 20 minutes everyone was seated. It was interesting talking to the other women about how their chapter is run and different ideas for fundraising and philanthropy events. I met one woman who worked with Jordan Gomes! The world is pretty small sometimes, especially in the greek community.
In the afternoon I attended the session discussing race within your organization and on campus. It is an important issue that should be addressed. We learned that being a non-racist will not end racism, you have to be anti-racist to put an end to racism.
The last session was about new members and how the education process can be improved, and making ritual an important part of your chapter.
It has been a great weekend and I have learned so much. I can't wait to have chapter and share what I learned with other members and Eboard. We already have such a strong Greek community at BSU and we have strong leaders who will help continue to improve it and make it even better because of what we learned this weekend.
The first session I went to this morning was about recruitment videos. The speakers talked about the educational and marketing aspect of making recruitment videos. I think it will really help our future recruitment videos and the Membership Recruitment Chair working with the PR chair for next recruitment.
My favorite part of today was the Affilitation lunch where we sat with members of our organization from chapters at other schools. There were about 33 Phi Sigs and they only assigned one table for us with 10 seats, but after 20 minutes everyone was seated. It was interesting talking to the other women about how their chapter is run and different ideas for fundraising and philanthropy events. I met one woman who worked with Jordan Gomes! The world is pretty small sometimes, especially in the greek community.
In the afternoon I attended the session discussing race within your organization and on campus. It is an important issue that should be addressed. We learned that being a non-racist will not end racism, you have to be anti-racist to put an end to racism.
The last session was about new members and how the education process can be improved, and making ritual an important part of your chapter.
It has been a great weekend and I have learned so much. I can't wait to have chapter and share what I learned with other members and Eboard. We already have such a strong Greek community at BSU and we have strong leaders who will help continue to improve it and make it even better because of what we learned this weekend.
Be The Change
Friday, February 24th, 2017
Today has been one helluva day. It was a long, very
informative, impactful, and educational day to say the least! The opening
keynote, Joshua Fredenburg, caught everyone's attention. His presentation,
"Be the Change YOU Wish to See in the World", was very encapsulating
and extremely motivational. He emphasized the importance of impact, setting
measurable plans of action to make an impact, the qualities of a leader,
surrounding yourself with a "Dream Team", and having a sense of
"courageous faith". These words were so powerful especially his last
statement of the keynote stating, "There is a superhero in all of us, you
just need the courage to put on your cape".
Later on, I attended my first NGLA institute session
"Motivating the Middle" and took back some great advice on how to get
the middle members of the organization to contribute and progress within their
ranks as student leaders and members of the organization. All of this was based
on levels of engagement within the chapter. You have the top, middle, and
bottom levels of engagement that each member falls into. The top are the
leaders that attend conferences like NGLA or hold these significant positions
in chapter, the middle are balancing their share yet aren't taking on
challenges, and the bottom are just there for the free t-shirts. In order to
motivate the middle, you need to give them a job, a chance, and an opportunity.
Work with them because what motivates most might not motivate all of the
members and they will make mistakes just like you did - don't get pissed at
them. Finally, members are just as busy as you are with their other priorities,
give these members get out of jail free cards, they need them and you need to
understand that their priorities come first to them - so be it.
The second NGLA institute I attended was on the "Art of
Science and Manhood" which was around the structure of masculinity and
frankly I didn't enjoy it too much when the presenter talked about the aspects
behind masculinity. I personally already knew a lot about the topic and felt
like it lost the purpose I was hoping it would have on myself and the rest of
the audience.
We attended lunch and I made at least 3 sandwiches and tried
butternut squash soup, it was pretty good. A little bit too thick in my
opinion, but all-in-all good.
After lunch, I attended the third institute session,
"New Member Education: The Juxtaposition of being made to feel special
& recognizing privilege". THIS WAS INCREDIBLE. Tina VanSteenbergen and
James Robilotta are such good facilitators working off of one another and the
crowd was so engaged in conversation about the controversial topic. It was very
informative and very impactful. All in all, with whatever privilege you have,
do not stay silent in times of injustice. Doing nothing is unacceptable.
The last session of the day I attended was "The
Fraternity Closet" where we discussed the position of sexuality in the
chapter and in the greek community. The facilitators played very good few
videos and provided some great information to those in attendance that knew
nothing about the topic. It was very good at giving the basis for the existence
and understanding of a heteronormative society and cultural focus. I knew quite
a bit about this topic and felt like this was not as informative as it could've
been!
After these sessions, we all went back to our rooms to
change and get into some comfier clothing for dinner. We went to the Black Bear
Pub for dinner and I ordered a tricked-out burger. It was delicious.
Then we headed back to the hotel after a sketchy walk
through the Hartford streets. Once we got back to the hotel we all went to the
late night gathering in the hotel ballroom and everyone danced with neon foam
tubes and necklaces. It was great. It was in fact SO great, that when I got
back to my room I passed out and missed the pajammy jam. :(
All in all, great day, great people. Looking forward to
tomorrow!
I learned that you should leave an interview if you don’t like the smell of the room.
The first lecture I went to today was called Why the World
Needs Creative Leaders. We were taught how to be creative and how important it
can be. Shut up, find your flow, and feed it. Fun fact was that the motto “just
do it” of Nike was made by a marketing
executive who was studying cereal killers, the particular one he was studying
was placed in front of a firing squad for his execution. When he was asked to
give his last words he said “just do it”.
Next I went to go Greek, its not a
marketing strategy. We discussed the importance of not shouting at people to “go
Greek” or to use girl scout tabling events but to stop and break down into
steps how to recruit members. 1 Know your audience, 2 Know how to talk to them,
3 have a story that applies to your audience.
Later I attended Maximize your buzz
which discussed the safety of alcohol consumption in a fun and more adult
manor. The last lecture I went today was about networking and I learned the
importance of networking and how important it can be in every aspect of your
life. From a job to professional growth it is always a good to network with as
many people as you can.
At Lunch I got to meet the other
Sigma Pi members at this conference and found out that 3 of us are allergic to
dairy and we all suffered together eating tofu ravioli for lunch!
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