"To the world, you may be one person; but to one person, you may be the world."
Ah, the good ol' inspirational quote. They seem to surface quite a bit around graduation time, don't they? They can fill your spirit with hope, and fuel you with anticipation for your bright future. But along with the commencement speaker and campus graduation ceremony comes yet another celebration marking the end of your undergraduate years - at least for Tri Deltas, anyway. At this time, you will complete your collegiate term as a member of Tri Delta and participate in Circle Degree. You'll be surrounded by alumnae and sisters who will share the great things that they expect of you moving forward, who will express gratitude for what you've meant to them in the collegiate chapter and who will wish you luck as you close one chapter of your life and start a new one.
The ceremony will be short and sweet. Your emotions may
be all over the place. You may swell with pride and you may sense a slight
tinge of relief paired with a feeling of loss. Similar to the transition from
high school to college, you might not be ready to give up the life you established,
the friends you made and for some, the credibility you worked so hard to attain.
Needless to say, leaving your collegiate and Tri Delta stomping grounds behind
to embark on the rest of your life's journey will be a bittersweet experience.
Before you realize it or may even be ready for it, you're on a non-stop trip to reality. The nostalgia wears off. You may feel small, lost or even overwhelmed by life in the real world. By this time, you may already have your 9-to-5 job that exhausts you, day in and day out. You may have your bearings in the online world of job hunting, social-networking your tail off in hopes that someone will need the qualities you think you have to offer. You may be interviewing at company after company, speed dating style, hoping each one leads to something more. You start to realize that this is stressful. There may be a moment when all you want is to go back to your support group, back to your sisters so that when they ask, "So how's grown-up life?" you can say, "Don't ever graduate, enjoy it now".
Listen carefully (or read, whatever): do NOT despair, sister. You gave your time, your creativity, your dues and your love to Tri Delta and her members. You invested in her, and she invested in you, whether you wanted her to or not. Now is the time for you to collect on that investment, if you haven't already. Think about what Tri Delta has given to you, which looks different for everybody. The whole Tri Delta experience is about growth and development. You are a strong and capable woman. You are a mentor, a leader, a scholar, a role model, a sister, a loyal friend and so much more. Though many of those things are not measured accomplishments like a "magna cum laude" on your diploma or resumé, they are worthy and valuable qualities. Tri Delta can fit different needs at different times in your life. While you may be finished with the weekly chapter meetings, fines or points systems, allow Tri Delta to still be there for you in your transition. Stay in touch with the Fraternity by becoming Life Loyal, joining our LinkedIn group for networking opportunities, consider finding an alumnae chapter in your area or look into volunteering. Starting this new chapter in your life can be difficult for some, humbling for others and sometimes even a little overwhelming.
Empower yourself. Whether you're at a new job, at an interview, behind a computer screen typing your cover letter or in a new city trying to find your way; remember your accomplishments, the people who have meant the most to you in Tri Delta and those who you mean a lot to as well. No matter what you mean to the rest of the big world in this new chapter of your life, you mean the world to those who have been beside you along the way.