When I first came to Chico for college, I knew I wanted to go through recruitment and join a Panhellenic sorority, and I was simultaneously terrified of it at the same time. I’m someone who experiences intense episodes of anxiety from time to time, and Greek life seemed incredibly intimidating. Flash forward a couple years, I ended up being elected as Chapter President of my sorority, Alpha Delta Pi. This transformation from a timid first-year student to a leader on campus gave me the most wonderful opportunity to grow personally and professionally, and as I look back, I feel so grateful for the invaluable lessons I learned from taking on this role.
Stop questioning myself
For the longest time (and honestly, sometimes still now), I quite literally doubted every decision I made. What if it’s wrong? What if this is a grave mistake? Serving in a position that calls for quick and important decision-making, I was forced to step out of my comfort zone and learn how to trust myself. Unlearning the false narrative that my judgment wasn’t just as valid as others’ was very taxing, but also incredibly important. As women, it’s so vital that we acknowledge and believe that our spot at the table is just as important as the rest of them. We must tune into ourselves, trust ourselves, and shake off the fear of being wrong.
delegate, delegate, delegate
One of my biggest areas of improvement has always been asking for help. It can seem so rewarding and impactful to do everything yourself, but throughout my whole life, I’ve had to learn the hard way that not delegating is the perfect recipe for burnout. I was lucky enough to lead and work alongside an incredible executive board of hard-working women, and our most successful and prideful moments during our terms were when we worked together and all made our own contributions. As a young leader, and a female one, it can feel uncomfortable to delegate. We’ve been taught that it makes us “bossy.” It doesn’t. It makes you a good leader, and it allows you the chance to let others also grow their own leadership skills and blossom professionally as well.
people-pleasing is not your friend
From time to time, I catch myself being a total people-pleaser. It’s a natural human tendency to want everyone to be happy; to want everyone to like you. Not just in leadership roles, but in general. During my term, I really had to come to terms with the fact that you can’t please every single person, every single day. Of course, decisions should be made with the benefit of others in mind, but you should never have to sacrifice your own time and integrity to do so. Moving forward in my own personal and professional life, I’ve really had to master the art of boundaries – specifically, learning how to say no when I need to, and understanding the reality that it’s not my responsibility to make everybody else happy.
don’t take yourself too seriously
This is one I’m still really, really working on. Being a hard worker and dedicated to your passions is an incredible quality. At the same time, (as cliché as it sounds), I’ve had to learn to stop and smell the roses. This is as young as I’ll ever be, and mistakes are going to be made. I had plenty of mess-ups during my term, and every day, I’m learning through making mistakes in all areas of my life. This position really helped me understand that this isn’t a weakness. If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not trying. If you’re not trying, you’re not learning. Rather than fixating on everything I did wrong, I had to learn to give myself grace for not being perfect, and celebrate that I’m constantly evolving and learning how to do better.
communication is everything
We hear all of the time how important good communication skills are. Nothing quite makes this idea really set in like leading 100-person organization. When you say things and how you say things are equally important, and I wholeheartedly believe this isn’t just applicable to leadership, but within friendships and relationships too. One of the greatest pieces of advice I’ve been given is to never make a decision when you’re sad, and to never speak when you’re angry. Since then, I’ve tried my best (hence the tried) to allow myself to process my emotions before making a decision and before speaking out. Being a Chapter President can be stressful, overwhelming, and frustrating, and this gave me the perfect opportunity to practice recognizing and attending to my own emotions while preventing them from the clouding my judgment as a leader and impacting the operations of the chapter. In my opinion, learning how to regulate your own emotions is so vital to good communication skills, and something that everybody should practice.
The Greek life community at Chico State, in my opinion, is so special. Being a smaller community compared to other schools, I’ve found it to be quite intimate, personal, and close-knit. I truly credit the community and the opportunities that have come with it for so much of my own growth and am so thankful for the year-long opportunity to learn and grow my own strengths as a student leader, as a professional, and as a woman.