Happy New Year, 2022!

It's been a while since I have last blogged, please forgive me. With life, school, concerts, recitals, photography, it's been a crazy, bumpy, yet lovable ride. 

I will blog some more but in the meantime, I have a favor to ask. My chapter is doing a fundraiser from double good popcorn. (I am sure you have heard of it). It would be so kind to purchase a couple of bags, I would be EVER so grateful. We are currently in a contest, and the chapter that raises the most money, will receive $1500 to use for scholarship for local students. You will have until January 13th (which is our Founders Day btw) 7pm EST to purchase popcorn.

The link is below, and if you do decide to purchase, please put vplove in the comments, so I can get credit! 

Double Good Popcorn for Phoenix Metro Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.

Thanks so much and I will be back in a few days to give you all updates of what's been going on with me. V. Love

Congratulations to all New Initiates!

Hi Everyone,

I hope you all are doing well, staying safe, and, more importantly, STAYING HOME! These last few months have been interesting. Several organizations had to either put a halt or cancel membership intake all together for safety reasons, and others were able to finish up depending on where they were in the process.  I am a member and an advisor of Sigma Alpha Iota (Music Fraternity) and an Alumni of Alpha Phi Omega (Service) where organizations at our University had to put a halt to membership intake.  If you were able to finish up your process CONGRATULATIONS and welcome to GreekLand! If your process was canceled, remember that this is not a denial, just a delay. Things are looking different for EVERYONE! Chapter meetings are now held virtually, and chapter events have been canceled.  Colleges and Universities had to send their students home, I am now teaching from home, my husband is working from home. I must admit I have had cabin fever. Each time I think about wanting to leave my house, I have to remind myself that this is temporary, and the sooner we ALL can stay at home, the sooner we can get back to normal.

We are living in uncharted territory. This has NEVER happened before. Although I was looking forward to attending my regional conference this summer, especially since my chapter is the host chapter, its as canceled. ALL of our events are canceled. Although I feel SO bad about this, I feel even worse about the ladies of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. This is their centennial year, and I was looking forward to seeing all of my Zeta cousins (and I have a LOT OF THEM) celebrating their centennial in DC at Howard. As I have been watching the news, it seems like that may not happen for them. If they are forced to cancel, I PRAY they will be able to reschedule it for another time when it's safe. I remember how much of a glorious time I had at my centennial, and I am hoping they will be able to experience it as well.

If you crossed this semester (or fall semester), comment below, and introduced yourself, I have always enjoyed meeting new Sorors, new sistergreeks, and new fraternity members across the globe.

Congrats again, and remember, now the REAL work begins!

Ciao for now,

V

I can't keep Calm it's My DeltaVersary!

Twenty years ago, in the wee hours in the morning, I, along with eight other women, pledged our desires and became proud members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. What started as a cold and raining night, ended up being a GLORIOUS day for all of us. During our 10th year Delta-Versary we all went to Vegas. We had a BALL! We made plans to go to Turk's and Caicos this year to celebrate our 20th. Unfortunately, COVID19 had other plans for us. We were all devastated! I had my gifts ready for them, was looking forward to getting my hair braided. I purchased several swimsuits and was prepared to kick it with my ships.  Instead of kicking it on the beach, we had to celebrate over the internet, what a BUMMER!


To soften the blow, I FINALLY opened up my Delta Doll that I pre-ordered around national convention last year. It was BEAUTIFUL! I had to pull out my camera to take a few pictures of it. Although NOTHING will replace our 20th trip, this doll made me feel better.

Happy 20th Shippies! I can't wait to celebrate with you when it's safe. #DST #CrimsonCream #1913 #DeltaSigmaTheta #EpsilonXi #EXi #FinancialAndActive #TwentyYears #Fortitude #Sisterhood #Scholarship #Service #SIUE #MightyMidwestMade #DS9mm #DaAssassin #Spring2000

Isn't she lovely???

Customized with my Line Info

Oo-oop!

Hey Everyone........

It's been a while since the last time I posted so I wanted to check in with you. Yup folks,  it's THAT time of year where people are applying to various orgs of their choice. Hopefully you have prepared for this journey and you started preparing WAY before attending rush. If you haven't read my previous posts, let me point out some key points in terms of important elements:

1. Informational/Rush - Get there EARLY to grab a seat. Some Rushes have more than 500 prospective members.

2. Treat this like a professional job so dress to impress.

3. I hope you saved up because joining these organizations can be quite expensive.

4. Listen and take notes during your rush. You want to make sure you don't miss anything.

5. Ask questions! The only way you will be able to get your questions answered, is to ask away.

6. Make sure you get the letters of recommendations ahead of time. Double check what is written and verify that it is correct. Verify the service hours are correct.

7. As SOON as you realize you want to be a member of XYZ organization, start networking with members from that org. Not member, MEMBERS (I am stressing the "s" for a reason). I have mentioned before that when I joined my beloved org I reached out a few members of my organization   to get a letter of recommendations.  I knew them ALL personally, so I felt confident that they could speak to my character. I knew six members PERSONALLY. They knew my record, my intent of wanting to join their organization, and my service record. I had the CHOICE of choosing WHO I wanted to write my letter of recommendation.

8. Enjoy the process. Will you be nervous? Absolutely! However, this is a time you will never forget. I remember when I was preparing for my process, I relied on Soror BeeJae Jackson and her DeltaNet website to get me through it. She gave the BEST advise for prospective members.

9. Double and Triple check your work before turning in your application. We are all human and make mistakes, however this is NOT the time you want to make mistakes. The stakes are high, and I am sure they will be scrutinizing all applications. You want to make sure your application is on point!

10. Follow directions! This is VERY important. Not only should you take notes at your information/rush as I mentioned above, you also want to follow directions to a "t'.


Wishing you all the best as you embark on this journey of Greek-life!

How is it going???

Hello out there! Now that the Sorority/Fraternity Year is over, I just wanted to touch base with all of you. For those of you that just crossed, how has it been thus far? I hope you are still enjoying the life of being a proud member of the Devine 9! When I run across neophytes, I get a warm feeling because it always takes me back to when I first crossed almost 20 years ago. I still can't believe I will be 20 years old next year. Where has the time gone?

Speaking of DeltaVersaries, I had the luxury of doing a photoshoot for a group of sorors who just celebrated 25 years of Sisterhood. They all came to Scottsdale to celebrate their 25th DeltaVersary and reached out to me to do their photoshoot. They did both a formal and informal shoot and I had a ball with all of them. I can't wait to do a photoshoot with MY ships as well.

Here are one of the pics I was able to capture. They LOVED IT!

I am looking forward to attending our National Convention in New Orleans next month, especially after we were told that it will be one of the LARGEST conventions ever (outside of centennial). My darling husband will be attending his Convention a week later in Las Vegas. His LS and prophytes will be there with him, and they decided to make it celebration to celebrate 20 years in the frat. (Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.)

So for those of you that have crossed over, how has it been? Was it everything you hoped it would be? For me it definitely was and THEN some. I will be blogging about my NOLA experience while I am there. (If I have time that is). 

Until next time, Ciao for now!

V

Congratulations are in Order

Have I ever told you guys, how much  I LOVE this time of year??? My timeline has been filling up with bright new faces of Sorors, Sistergreeks, and Fraternity Members. Congratulations to all of you who have crossed the sands into -----Land. *Fill in the blank with your prospective organization*

As for me, today is my DeltaVersary! I can't believe that my ships and I are celebrating 19 years together. Where has the time gone?  Every time I witness a crossing, it reminds me of my very own crossing and my coming- out show! (That's what we use to call it back in the day). Seeing some of your NIPs online, you all put in some HARD work! Not only were they entertaining, but very educational. Great job to your prophytes! Once the dust settles, here is some advice that I want to give to all of you.

1. Be humble! I have personally witnessed how three letters can seriously change a person. Don't be THAT person. Remember just months ago; you were on the other side sitting at Rush, hoping, wishing and praying to be chosen. There are plenty of people that want to be on your shoes. They were not selected for whatever reason. Please don't give them a reason to be turned off due to your attitude. I am not saying to start becoming everyone's BFF, but if someone is inquiring about membership remember how you were once upon a time in their shoes.

2. Now the REAL work begins. I am sure you have heard this before, but it's TRUE! Membership in these organizations requires a lot of hard work. Join a committee and start learning the inner workings of your organization. You've always been on the outside, now see how it all comes together on the inside.

3. Prioritize your time. If you think you were mad busy going through the process, you are about to be active as a member. If you are a planner, you might want to pull out your calendar at your meetings so you can add all upcoming events to your schedule.

3. Save your COINS! I know that sounds crazy, but for real, FOR REAL, save your $! Membership in these organizations is NOT CHEAP but NO MEANS! Annual dues, conferences, Fundraising events, Community Service events, etc. They all cost $ and will add up quickly.

4. Please make sure to register for Regional Conferences and National Convention. This is the ONLY way to find out the inner workings of your organization at the regional and national level. You will NOT regret it, I promise! When I attended my first National Convention, I was in awe! Seeing thousands of Sorors in their White. And going to the opening, I cried. It was just a bit overwhelming. (In a right way mind you). This is also an excellent opportunity to meet Sorors/Frat brothers from all over.  I still keep in touch with a few Sorors I met from my first National Convention 19 years ago. This will give you a perfect opportunity to not only meet Sorors from your region (Regional Conference) or across the U.S. (National Convention/Boule'). Speaking of which let me revisit that you need to make sure you save your coins for Vendors. The BEST paraphernalia are at Conferences/Conventions/Boules!

5. Don't take it personally! Your new Sorority Members and Fraternity members are not going to agree with you all the time. You may not agree with them. And you know what? That's ok! That idea that you think is so brilliant? May not receive the majority vote that is needed to implement within the chapter.   Just don't take it personally, and keep it moving. I am saying this with love. The sooner you realize this, the better.

6. Keep your line issues within your LINE! If you and your LS have a problem, talk it out among yourselves.

I will share more later, so that's all for now!

Delta Authors on Tour

Happy Monday Everyone!

This past weekend was a busy weekend for my chapter. One Chapter from each Region (there are seven) was chosen to host a "Delta Authors On Tour" event. My chapter was selected to represent the Farwest Region. The Farwest Region of Delta Sigma Theta Inc. includes states such as Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Japan, Korea, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. We invited a Delta Author from each Region (Central, Midwest, Farwest, South Atlantic, Southern, Southwest, and Eastern) to represent their region at our event. It was a HUGE success. The event hosted at the AC Marriott Biltmore. We had food, live jazz music, and it the bulk of the event was held on the patio. The weather was PERFECT especially considering we just had a significant snowfall (YES, SNOW) a few weeks before. Each author spoke briefly about the books they were selling, and there was a variety of exciting book topics. There were Romance books, Children Books, Christian Books, books about self-esteem, etc. After each author gave a brief synopsis about their book(s), the audience was led to a room to purchase the books of their choice, have their books signed by the author and take a picture. 

There are a total of 7 Delta Authors on Tour Events (This is to once again, represent each region) and if there is one near you, I would highly recommend that you attend. 

Delta Authors

PMAC Chapter

I hope you all are enjoying your Monday. As I was glancing through the comments, it appeared that some of you have received the "call of your dreams." If that applies to you, CONGRATULATIONS! Please come back and check in with us, once you crossed the sands into *Fill in the Blank* Land! 

If you received the letter of rejection, don't give up! It's just not your time THIS TIME, but if you keep fighting, your time will come. I am sure it's hurts like heck, and it's okay to feel sad, angry, and even confused. Keep your head up.

For those you that are still waiting.....are you keeping yourself busy? I suggest that you do, because the wait can seem like YEARS, even though it's only been a few days.

Ciao For Now,

V