Being A Leader In My Sorority Has Prepared Me For Life After College | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

Being A Leader In My Sorority Has Prepared Me For Life After College

If I want the rainbow, I have to deal with the rain.

796
Being A Leader In My Sorority Has Prepared Me For Life After College
Karli Haubenreiser

Throughout my high school career, I was always involved in as many activities and clubs that I could possibly handle at once. Being really involved helped me adapt easier and keep me on my feet at all times.

When it was time to move to Kentucky where I knew a maximum of five people out of over 20,000 on campus, I knew that I had to get involved. In my opinion, there was no better way to start my freshman year of college off than registering for formal recruitment.

After a long and stressful week, I was lucky enough to end up where I’m supposed to be.

Since my first year as a new member of Tri Delta, I have been surrounded by courageous, committed and confident leaders. After two years of getting to know people and get comfortable, I was offered the position of Vice President of Finance.

I’m not going to lie, I was completely shocked at first. I have literally zero background in finance and I hate math and working with numbers. On top of that, accepting this position would mean that I would serve on the standards committee (if you know, you know).

For those of you who are not in Greek life, standards is the group of people that make executive decisions for the chapter. So essentially, it’s a lot of responsibility. As someone who has never held that big of a position before along with the fact that I have no previous financial background, I was hesitant to accept.

After going back and forth contemplating what I should do, I ended up accepting. Yeah, I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I also really love my chapter and felt that having this position fall into my lap was meant to happen.

Here I am, five months in. I’m definitely a different person than I was at the start back in November. Dealing with all of the money for a chapter of 280 girls and managing a budget of about $800,000 really does something to you. I think I had my first “oh shit” moment after the first week but I’ve definitely gotten the hang of things and have learned so much.

Being a leader has involved dealing with the good, the bad and the oh so ugly. Like I said, my chapter has about 280 girls in it. As much as I’d like to say that everything is always sunshine and rainbows, it’s not.

When you’re dealing with that many people there’s something new every week.

If there’s any valuable lesson that I’ve learned from this experience, it’s that I will never be able to please everybody. This is something that I still struggle to accept sometimes simply because I’m the type of person who tries really hard to make everyone happy.

It’s difficult to sit back and listen to people say negative things about standards and the way we handle certain things as a group because I know deep down that every decision we make is done with the best interest of the chapter in mind.

When people come into the room amped up about something, they often forget that we are human beings too. We have feelings and spend lots of late nights talking through situations to make sure that we are truly doing what’s best.

A lot of consideration goes into each decision that is made. But no matter if we spend two minutes or two hours talking through something, nothing we do will ever make all 280 people happy with it.

With that being said, I’ve also learned that you can’t let the negative words of a few speak louder than the positive words of the majority. I have dedicated way too much of myself to this chapter to let a few rude comments consume me.

So many other members tell me on a daily basis that we’re doing such a great job. So why brush those compliments off but focus on the negative ones from two or three people, which at the end of the day mean literally nothing???

When people get upset about something they always look for someone to blame, which nine times out of ten ends up being those of us on standards. I used to get really pissed off and bothered by it, but at this point, I honestly just don’t care anymore.

I’m slowly but surely learning how to focus my energy on the things that matter most in my life, and negativity is not one of them.

Now I don’t want people to think that everything I just described is all that sorority life is, because it most certainly is not.

The positives definitely outweigh the negatives. I could go on about all of the amazing things that I have accomplished and participated in because of my membership in Tri Delta, but that's something for another time.

What I’ve taken away from my five months of being a leader in my sorority are lessons that I will carry with me after I graduate and start pursuing my professional career. The same things I had to work through as a member of standards are the same things that managers have to work through in the workplace.

If being a successful leader means I have to take some backlash every now and then, I’m okay with that.

If I want the rainbow, I have to deal with the rain.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

A Few Thoughts Every College Freshman Has

The transition into adulthood is never easy

15142
Mays Island
Courtney Jones

Today I started my third week of college at Minnesota State Moorhead. I have survived welcome week, finding my classes on the first day, and being an awkward loner in the dining hall. Even though I have yet to be here for a month, I have already experienced many thoughts and problems that only a new college student can relate to.

Keep Reading...Show less
Students walking on a sunny college campus with trees and buildings.

"Make sure to get involved when you're in college!"

We've all heard some variation of this phrase, whether it came from parents, other family members, friends, RAs, or college-related articles. And, like many clichés, it's true for the most part. Getting involved during your college years can help you make friends, build your resume, and feel connected to your campus. However, these commitments can get stressful if you're dealing with personal issues, need to work, or aren't sure how to balance classes and everything else going on during the semester.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

9 Reasons Why Friends Are Essential In College

College without friends is like peanut butter without jelly.

6567
Bridgaline Liberati and friends
Bridgaline Liberati

In college, one of the essential things to have is friends. Yes, textbooks, a laptop, and other school supplies are important but friends are essential. Friends are that support system everybody needs. The more friends you have the better the support system you have. But you also have someone to share experiences with. And don’t settle for just one or two friends because 8 out of 10 times they are busy and you are studying all alone. Or they have other friend groups that do not include you. Don’t settle for just one or two friends; make as many friends as you can. After the first couple of weeks of college, most friend groups are set and you may be without friends.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

The Power of Dressing Up

Why it pays to leave the hoodie at home.

4858
sneakers and heels
Sister | Brother Style - Word Press

For a moment your world is spinning. The phone alarm has just scared you awake and you’re flooded by daunting thoughts of the day ahead. You have three assignments due and little time to work on them because of your job. You’re running late because you’ve hit snooze one to many times after yesterday’s long hours. You dizzily reach for a hoodie, craving its comfort, and rush for a speedy exit, praying you will have time to pick up coffee. Does this sound familiar?

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

11 Signs You Live At The Library As Told by 'Parks And Recreation'

A few signs that you may live in the library whether you'd like to admit it or not.

4276
brown wooden book shelves with books

Finals week is upon us. It is a magical time of year during which college students everywhere flock to the library in attempt to learn a semester's worth of knowledge in only a week. For some students, it's their first time in the library all semester, maybe ever. Others have slaved away many nights under the fluorescent lights, and are slightly annoyed to find their study space being invaded by amateurs. While these newbies wander aimlessly around the first floor, hopelessly trying to find a table, the OGs of the library are already on the third floor long tables deep into their studies. Here is a few signs that you may live in the library, whether you'd like to admit it or not.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments