Convos with Jad - Alpha Phi Leadership Conference

Sororities are so cliché, just like the one shown in “Legally Blonde,” right? I thought so too, and even joked about it my entire freshman year of college. However, randomly deciding to go through informal recruitment on a Tuesday afternoon in the University Center led to me attending not one, not two, but three leadership conferences and becoming the president of Angelo States’ chapter of Alpha Phi. I could talk all day about the positives that sororities bring to campus, but for this particular column, I am going to focus on my experience at the 2023 Alpha Phi Leadership conference in Dallas, Texas. 

It all began in a loaned 12-passenger van. In the name of team bonding and cheaper gas prices, most of our executive board and I loaded up and road-tripped to the Hyatt Regency hotel where our conference was being held. I was a bit nervous since the weather leading up to the event, in its icy splendor, had canceled my entire week, but the trip was pretty easy to navigate without a hitch. 

I know leadership training, growth and bonding were the main focus of this trip, but what better way to bond than through merchandise? After checking in with the hotel and Alpha Phi, we got to explore the tables of different licensed vendors and make any fun purchases we might want to make before dinner. 

The food on this trip was amazing. As one who eats a lot of Wendy’s  Four for Four’s and salad kits, having the kindest person bring out a plate with chicken? Green beans? Mashed potatoes, too? Anyways, the food was an amazing part of the experience.

Lastly, and most importantly, the leadership sessions. This conference had over 1,000 different executive members and volunteers in attendance, and the things that I was privileged to learn and how I got to do so were beneficial to me and, hopefully, to the people I can help with the knowledge. Most of my sessions were with other Alpha Phi presidents with similar chapter sizes to mine. I would say there were a good 30 to 50 presidents in those sessions, and we were presented with different sorts of information and then allowed time to communicate with each other. We exchanged ideas and discussed what worked in helping some chapters and what could help improve others. Getting to experience a sisterhood with ladies from another chapter but still part of the same organization was something I will forever cherish. 

Overall, having the memories that were made and getting to see my girls grow closer together is something that will always hold so much value for me. Seeing ideas spark in my team's eyes, watching them want to make their mark in their departments and experiencing their excitement was probably the best part of the whole trip for me. I am thankful for a school that supports its Greek life and other student organizations in training and empowering its leaders and for Alpha Phi, a sisterhood that has taken me on so much more in life than this single trip