NPC Badge Day 2018 - Life as a Sorority Alumna....

     Something that was a huge part of my life between 2013-2016 was being a member of Alpha Delta Pi, my sorority. I went through sorority recruitment after transferring colleges in the fall semester of my sophomore year of college, and remained an active sister until my college graduation almost two years ago. Alpha Delta Pi is a member of the National Panhellenic Conference, which means that it's one of the 26 premiere sororities for collegiate women, and holds itself to NPC governing rules (and stances against anti-hazing, etc). My college had four of the NPC sororities on campus, but I knew from the very first night of my college recruitment experience that I wanted to be an Alpha Delta Pi. 😊


     Anyways- today, Monday March 5th, is national NPC Badge Day for all Greek women, both current active collegiate members and alumni! This includes all members past and present of all 26 sororities. NPC sorority women are encouraged to wear their sorority's pin and pin attire (business casual) today to celebrate being Greek! Back when I was in college, I did a fun link-up on my blog each year on NPC Badge Day, where I'd wear a pin attire appropriate outfit with my sorority pin and share what ADPi sisterhood meant to me. I wasn't able to do this last year, so I wanted to bring it back to the blog for 2018. For today's post I was planning to wear my ADPi pin with a pin attire appropriate outfit to go with it, and do something similar to what I used to do for NPC Badge Day blog posts back in college. Well- thanks to a big life update/change and crazy things happening for me (which you'll hear about TOMORROW!), I had to cancel and re-arrange some planned blog photoshoots over the past couple weeks, which means these photos weren't able to get done in time for today. I'm proudly wearing my ADPi pin to work today (I'll post a snap on my Instagram Story!), but I decided I'd focus today's post instead on my thoughts about being a sorority alumna almost two years after graduation.

One of my Alpha Delta Pi senior photos, April 2016

     The last almost two years have been surprisingly.... not very full of sorority alumna related moments. After my college graduation, I wanted a long break from anything that reminded me of undergrad, Greek life included. I was starting broadcasting school and a new chapter in my life, and I was in the process of dealing with a painful legal situation (which began right before I graduated college), so anything associated with my college experience reminded me of what was going on with that. I did attend an alumni event that my ADPi chapter hosted shortly before I moved to Vermont, but other then that I spent a lot of last year trying to focus on anything not related to my undergraduate experience, which is what I needed to do that the time for my mental health. 

     Now that the legal situation has been resolved and over for the last year and a half and my feelings are much more settled about things related to my college years, I very much want to start becoming an active Alpha Delta Pi alumna member. I was actually really sad that there was no active alumni organization here in Vermont, nor was the collegiate chapter in Burlington at UVM seeking new advisors last fall. So I guess my time here in Vermont wasn't the time for me to get re-involved with my sorority, but that's okay- I had an intense work schedule this year, and had a lot to adjust to with life in Vermont. If I saw myself being in Vermont more as a long-term thing, I might have tried to start an ADPi alumni organization here, but where I never saw myself being here longer than just for my first job, that didn't seem too feasible.

     In the future, I have many goals for getting back involved with Alpha Delta Pi. First and foremost, I want to do a better job with staying in touch with sister friends from my chapter. While I have done a good job at keeping up long-distance with some friends since moving to Vermont, I think I could definitely improve with keeping up with a lot of my ADPi sisters. Many of them were such important people in my life during my college years, and I don't want to forget those special bonds! Next, I'd love to serve as an ADPi chapter advisor (an alumni sister who volunteers her time to oversee a collegiate chapter)- it's on my bucket list for the next 10 years! I think this would be a great way to give back to an organization that gave me so much in college. Another goal of mine is to finally visit ADPi's Memorial Headquarters, located in Atlanta. I've only been to Atlanta once and I didn't have time to visit on that trip, so I definitely want to go back and see this special place! And lastly, a very longterm goal is that I'd love to attend ADPi's National Convention, which is held every two years. I never had the chance to attend as a collegiate member, but I'd still love to attend someday and be in the company of so many of my sisters! 

     One special ADPi memory that did happen in 2017 was that my first bridesmaid experience was for an ADPi! My sister Perrin was married last April, and it was so fun to have sisters all around to celebrate her.

ADPi sisters at Perrin's wedding

     And since today is NPC Badge Day- not just related to my specific sorority, I wanted to share something special that doesn't just relate to Alpha Delta Pi. Three of my very best friends from Maine are members of another Panhellenic sorority, Alpha Xi Delta. My high school best friend, Jules, went through sorority recruitment around the same time I did, and I was just thrilled when I found out she'd received a bid from AXiD! One year later, my childhood best friend, Katie, (who went to the same university as Jules), went through recruitment and ended up becoming an Alpha Xi Delta sister as well. Jules was one of the first to welcome Katie home, and despite being in North Carolina at the time... I cried my eyes out when I saw Bid Day photos of two of my very best friends (who didn't know each other prior!) becoming sisters. And finally- Jules and Katie being in AXiD lead me to my friend Mercedes! I met Mercedes through Katie, when I went as her date to their chapter's winter formal a few years ago. Mercedes and I hit it off right away and became social media friends, and this year we've gotten really close. She came to visit me in Vermont and we have many plans to see each other this year! I always joke that Alpha Xi Delta is my "second sorority" since three of my best friends are in it, and it just goes to show how important a day like NPC Badge Day is - all Panhellenic sororities are important, and it's wonderful to have friends in other organizations! 

     

Katie, myself and Jules during one of my trips home last summer!

Throwback to when Mercedes came to visit me in Vermont and got a tour of the radio studios!

     So all of that goes to show that even though I haven't been the most involved alumna during my first two years post-grad... Alpha Delta Pi and being a Greek woman still means so much to me, and I'm so thankful for the memories, and also for what is to come!! I thought I would conclude this post by linking some of my favorite sorority blog posts from years past on Southern Belle in Training:

• My Bid Day - 2013
• My First ADPi Recruitment - 2014
• DIY State Pride Sorority Craft Idea for your Little - 2014
• Guest Post on the Alpha Delta Pi blog about my internship with the Fraternity Communications Association Conference (representing ADPi) - 2015
• My Final ADPi Recruitment - 2015
• My Final Black Diamond Formal - 2016

     Were you in an NPC sorority in college (or are you now)? Are you wearing your pin today? Also: my blogger friend Nicole from What Nicole Wore, who is a Sigma Kappa alumna, is also writing a blog post today in honor of NPC Badge Day!! Be sure to check hers out and show it some love!

     P.S. Stay tuned for the BIG NEWS I've been teasing.... it's coming in tomorrow's post!

     God Bless,

     xoxo Annaliese