Vice President/Membership and Eve Woods Riley Scholarship recipient, Kate Henchy, Alpha (pictured far left with her UIFI chapter), shares with us her experience at the Undergraduate Interfraternity Institute® (UIFI®). Each year, The Center for Living, Learning and Leading grants a select few members a scholarship to attend UIFI for a week of leadership development and integration among Fraternity and Sorority members across the country. Kate was one of over twenty applicants to receive our scholarship this year. Here is her own personal account of how attending UIFI has inspired her in her leadership as a Tri Delta and as a member of the Panhellenic council at Boston University.
"These letters don't make me better than you, these letters make me better than I used to be." - Unknown Author
The men and women that I have met at UIFI2013 have inspired me to reach for greatness, to create a legacy and do my best to live up to the values of a Tri Delta woman. While every experience during the week was incredibly meaningful there are a few that particularly stick out to me.
The first was sharing crucible moments with the rest of my chapter group. It was the first day in Indiana and after a few hours of team building and problem solving activities we were prompted to think about the times in our life that have made us the person we are today. After we spent some time reflecting on these moments on our own, we were encouraged to share them with the group. At first the thought was terrifying, to share of my most vulnerable moments with 10 individuals that I had just met a few hours prior. But then I took a moment to realize, each other person sitting in that room with me were there for the same reason: to grow and become a better member of their Greek organization. Opening up and sharing those critical moments was one of the most rewarding experiences of my time at UIFI because it instantly brought us closer to one another.
The second moment that stands out in my mind was the second evening of UIFI. We spent about an hour going around the room and listening to each other recite our purposes, creeds and values. To be able to stand up and recite the purpose of Delta Delta Delta to a room full of my fellow Greeks and be received with snaps and applause was a proud moment for me. To be able to hear the guiding values of the other organizations made me realize that although we wear different letters, we are all values based organizations that have been created to better our communities. No matter the letters, we're all Greek together.
The third moment that stands out to me was my one on one consultation with a Greek advisor from another organization. Spending half an hour talking to him about my experiences and specific chapter issues enabled me to really explore what the real problems were and where they originated. I couldn't expect my chapter to live by the values of Tri Delta until we really learned and explored what they meant to each of us. Until that week, I had never really felt prompted to think about the deeper meaning of the Tri Delta purpose and values and how I could represent those in my day-to-day life. How could I expect it from my chapter if they didn't learn it? How could they learn it if nobody ever taught them to think about the deeper meaning? Finally, how could I teach it until I began to live it myself?
Receiving my pin and certificate for the Iota Omicron class was one of the most proud moments of my collegiate experience. To me that pin means more than just finishing a week of camp, it represents a promise, to live up to my values. It represents the dedication that I have for change. It represents the faith and trust that the Tri Delta Foundation placed in me to represent our organization. It represents a renewal of my oath to Tri Delta. Finally it represents persistence and courage to stand up for what is right, what is just and what it means to be a Tri Delta woman.
