Dear Sisters,
Every Tri Delta story begins with an invitation. First, it’s a bid card. Then, maybe the opportunity to serve as a big sister, committee member or chapter officer. After graduation, those invitations come in the form of a phone call, a personal conversation or an occasion to participate and engage. Each invitation opens a new door, bringing opportunities to connect, grow and make a difference in the lives of others.
As an alumna, my journey as a Tri Delta volunteer began when Michelle Popp Shimberg, Florida, invited me to serve with our local collegiate chapter here in Central Florida. This invitation offered me the opportunity to serve the organization I had come to love as a collegiate member, use the leadership skills I developed in college and be exposed to a new set of Tri Delta sisters beyond my chapter.
One of the things I love most about Tri Delta is that we often see more in one another than we see in ourselves. We build each other up, give each other confidence, open doors and then encourage each other to walk through them.
Our Founders understood the power of that connection when they established Tri Delta nearly 140 years ago. They created an organization built on the belief that women could accomplish more with the support of one another. That idea was powerful then, and it is every bit as relevant today. In fact, I believe Tri Delta is more relevant than ever.
Women make up roughly 60% of college graduates, but we remain significantly underrepresented in leadership positions in corporate America. We still have work to do to ensure that women have the confidence, connections and opportunities to lead, and Tri Delta plays an important role in that work.
Tri Delta has never been just a place for me. It is the women I shared my collegiate experience with and the sisters who have walked alongside me through different ages and stages of my life. It is the friendships that have spanned almost 40 years, the mentors who have encouraged me, the volunteers who have supported me and the sisters who have had perfect confidence in me, even when I didn’t have it in myself.
I think about my daughter, Claire, attending Convention with me and how that experience changed the way she saw Tri Delta and her place in it. She came home with a deeper understanding of what this sisterhood can mean beyond the collegiate years. Claire recently accepted an invitation to become a volunteer and create that same sense of connection and possibility for someone else.
As I step into the role of Fraternity President, I have the privilege of seeing this organization from a perspective I never could have imagined when I first accepted Michelle’s invitation. My experiences as a Foundation trustee have given me an even deeper appreciation for the ambition we have for Tri Delta and the responsibility we share to keep moving the needle. I am incredibly proud of where we are going and of the many women who have gone before us, building on the foundations that keep Tri Delta strong.
And if I’m honest, I could talk about Tri Delta all day. The difference now is that, from the seat I’m sitting in, I am privileged to have that honor. And I plan to take full advantage of it.
Our Founders gave us a Purpose. Generations of women have carried it forward, and now it is our turn. We each have an opportunity to render willing service where we are needed most. That may mean mentoring a collegiate member, volunteering, making an introduction, answering a phone call, reuniting with sisters at Convention or simply inviting a sister back into the fold. We don’t all have to serve in the same way. We just have to be willing to lean in and say yes.
That is the gift of Tri Delta. The woman who once invited you to Tri Delta may never know all that her invitation set in motion. But because she said yes to you, you had the opportunity to say yes to someone else.
So, this Founders’ Day, I invite you to think about the women who have been there for you and how you can pay it forward—one invitation at a time.
Now, 138 years after our Founders first came together, that is still our work. That is still our Purpose. And that is still the power of Tri Delta. It is the promise that wherever life takes us, Tri Delta is always there.
Happy Founders’ Day, Tri Delta!
Loyally,
Stacey Dickenson Cox, Southern Methodist