Happy Founders Day!!!

To my fabulous Sorors of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Happy Founders Day!

I have truly enjoyed capturing so many special Delta moments through my lens, and I look forward to many more in the years ahead.

 

Spring Rush 2026

It’s that time again!!!!! I hope you all are ready for this season. Remember, if it’s your time, IT’S YOUR TIME! A few things to keep in mind:

1. If you need a letter of recommendation from a financial member of the organization you want to join, make sure you provide them with all the details well in advance.

2. Meet ALL deadlines. There will be hundreds of prospects vying for a spot, so make sure everything is submitted on time and in order.

3. If you need a copy of your transcript, request it now rather than later. You don’t want that to be the reason you’re held up.

4. Funds matter. Hopefully, you’ve been saving! It would be unfortunate to be selected and then unable to continue due to a lack of funds.

5. Have someone you trust—and preferably a member of the organization—review your packet. They can help guide you and ensure everything is complete and correct.

6. Ask questions! Rush is not only a time to receive information but also to ask questions. You should be well-informed about the process and expectations.

7. Review your application multiple times. Make sure everything is filled out correctly. If something doesn’t apply to you, write N/A instead of leaving it blank.

8. Stay busy! Once your application is submitted, keep yourself occupied while you wait to hear back. It’s easier said than done, but it truly helps.

9. Don’t HATE. I get it—you may feel your packet was perfect, yet still wasn’t chosen for whatever reason. Remember, most organizations don’t rely solely on your packet; members also vote on who they want in their chapter. If it’s not your time, don’t give up. Keep pushing forward. Many people who’ve followed my blog for years didn’t make it until their 3rd or 4th try. Go back and read the comments—you’ll see. They didn’t quit, and neither should you.

10. GOOD LUCK! Wishing you all the best as you apply to the organization of your dreams.
    

Fall Rush 2025

 

Well, it's that time again!. I would love to hear from you all to see how your semester is going. Fall Rush/Information is probably going on as well. I hope my past posts were helpful in terms of the do's and don'ts to prepare you all for it.

If the chapter of your choice does NOT have membership intake this year, I strongly recommend that you continue connecting with the chapter by attending various events. Volunteer for multiple programs, and more importantly, get to know the members.  Remember, there's always Spring Rush!!!!

Wishing everyone all the best as they are waiting patiently to get the "call" to membership

CONGRATULATIONS AND WELCOME TO D9

 

Hey Everyone,

It’s been such a productive (and busy!) summer for me, and I just realized I never made a post congratulating all of you who became proud members of the Divine 9. So, let me take a moment to say—CONGRATULATIONS!!!! 🎉

I hope crossing over has been everything you imagined and more. Hopefully, some of you have already had the chance to attend your organization’s conferences, national conventions, Boules, Conclaves, and more. But as I’ve said before (and I’ll say it again)—NOW the real work begins.

Chapter meetings. Committee meetings. Community service. Fundraisers. The list goes on. To a neophyte, it may feel overwhelming at first, but here’s my best advice for your first year:

1. Get involved early. Hit the ground running by getting to know your chapter. Learn the tools available to you—bylaws, code of conduct, and how your chapter runs its meetings.

2. Find your lane. Identify a committee that speaks to your passion and jump in.

3. Pace yourself. Don’t overextend by joining everything at once. Your excitement is wonderful, but balance is key to avoiding burnout.

4. Attend a conference or retreat. Whether regional, leadership, or national, these experiences broaden your perspective and help you understand how your organization functions on a larger scale.

5. Remember: this is for life. Your commitment doesn’t end after initiation, which is why pacing yourself is so important.

There’s so much more I could add, but I’ll leave it here for now. Once again, congratulations, and welcome to the other side!

A Fall Rush 2025 thread will be posted soon.......

Ciao for now,

"V"

2025 Rush

 Hi Everyone,

It's been a LONNNNG time coming but it's HERE! Happy 2025 Rush! I know some of you may be feeling a lot of different emotions as rush season is now here. You probably feel nervous, anxious, scared, thrilled, happy, excited, etc....and that's all normal. My advice? Take it all in and  don't allow your emotions to take over. Just think some of the people in that room could possibly be your future line sisters and/or line brothers. The best advice I can give you is, do your best, come prepared, get to know not only the members in the room, but other people in the room as well. This takes a lot of effort on your part. Remember that although you want to stand out, you don't want to seem TOO aggressive. So, I would say READ THE ROOM! 

I can't believe that nearly TWENTY-FIVE (25) years ago, I was in your shoes. WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE?????? 25 years ago I was roaming on my college campus and I see it. I froze. I smile. Then I get nervous. The flyer was posted in the Union building that the chapter is having an informational. (We didn't call it rushes, but informationals). I was SO nervous. I remember running back to my dorm room, and calling one of my girlfriend's who was at Howard at the time telling her that the time has come. I was BEYOND excited. I also knew that it was time to get all my ducks in a row (pun intended).   I made a few phone calls to make sure my Delta mentor was still active and financial so I could have her on standby to write my letter, I called back home to ALL the places I volunteered in Chicago to make sure they could write me a letter of recommendation. I reached out to a few of my professors to make sure they could write me a letter of reference. Let's just say, ya girl was PREPARED! I did not want to wait until the last minute to try to gather these things since I heard that there could be a deadline for all of these things. Mind you I gathered ALL of these things no less than 24 hours AFTER seeing the flyer. Now mind you, I didn't get these things until AFTER the rush, however I wanted to make everyone aware that I would need these letters soon. 

I can't believe that was I will be celebrating my 25th year in my organization and I have never been so happy to be a part of what I feel is the greatest sorority on earth. But I am sure ALL of my fellow greek sistas' feel the same way about their org. If you don't then something is wrong with you! LOL!!!! 

So good luck to everyone out there. I truly hope you have a wonderful time a rush, and as much as I want to tell you to not  be nervous, and take it in, as someone who has been there before I just won't. Just take it all in and enjoy the process. 

Ciao for now and good luck to all of you! 

Happy 2025 Everyone!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

I know it's been a while, but ya gal has been REALLY busy! I can't believe it's 2025 already! Wow, where has the time gone? I don't know about you, but I am thrilled to see all that 2025 will offer. I have always treasured each new year because it means new beginnings. A fresh start. 2024 has been a trying year for me due to unexpected health challenges,,,,but GOD!

 I have so many goals this year. Now that my health is back in check, (Thank you Lord), I am able to work out again. I use to be a gym rat, and I am looking forward to getting back to that. So far, I have worked out every day this year thus far which is a first for me in almost 2 years. I finally got the clearance from my doctor and I am beyond grateful that I am back where I need to be in terms of my health.

It's only the 28th of January, and I have already shot 4 weddings. I am beyond blessed because some of my fellow photography friends are struggling with booking clients. I am beyond thankful to be booked and busy because  capturing love behind my lens has been truly a joy for me.  

I went home to celebrate Christmas with my family which was a joy. While I was there, I was able to catch up with my High School besties, De Anna and Milauna. They are both EXCELLENT actors and writers in the industry, so meeting up with them was one of thee BEST highlights of my trip. We all went Curie Metropolitan High School of Performing Arts and I thankfully ALL of us is still in the arts perfecting our crafts. 

Here is a throwback from when we were still in High School, I'm in the middle! :) 

We had an amazing time together, and I am SO grateful for their love, support and more importantly their friendship. Speaking of which Milauna (on the left) was just in the film The Triple Six Eight and if you haven't check it out PLEASE DO! She played Captain Campbell, (Kerry Washington's right-hand woman). I am SO proud of her and all of her MANY accomplishments! My Girl De Anna is killing the game right now and is currently in Raisin in the Sun in Chicago. I am just glad we ALL are doing our thang in terms of still staying true to ourselves and remaining in the Arts. 

Because of my busy schedule with school, performances, shooting weddings and events, I have been waaaay behind with blogging. I know rush season is now upon us, and my next post will be all about rush. Speaking of which, how are the neophytes doing out there? I would love to hear from you now that you are on the other side. Was it everything you want and more, or not? It's one thing to be on one side and it's completely different when you cross over you get to see the "other" side of things. As I stated before now the REAL work begins. And it's a LOT of work. TRUST ME! Don't get me wrong, I enjoy every bit of it. 

Well that's all for now. 

My next post will be about 2025 Rush, so stay tuned! 

My Summer Recap (Conferences)

 Hey Everyone,

It's been a while since the last time I blogged. It's been one HECK of a busy summer. I hope you all had a great summer, as I have. I had the pleasure of being both the Farwest Regional AND the Midwest regional conference photographer. 

Let's start with the Fabulous Farwest regional conference, which was in May. Boy a time was had! It was in the beautiful city of Honolulu in Hawaii. It was a nice break from the heat. The only downside was I had to miss the last week of school, so I wasn't there to see my students get promoted. I did leave them a nice goodbye note. Although my darling husband wanted to join me in Hawaii, I told him that more than likely I wouldn't have any downtime since I would be capturing photos from like 6:30am until well after midnight. He usually accompanies me to Delta conferences and conventions, and I usually go with him during Alpha events. 

Since I was the sole photographer at the conference, it was vital that I was able to capture ALL events. The first time I did this, it was a bit challenging since there are multiple events going on simultaneously. The key I found is to capture a few shots an event, and sprint off to the next. I learned this from our National Photographer, Sharon Farmer!  . 

I had a wonderful time capturing memories. The planning committee did a phenomenal job with everything. From getting "laid" at the airport, all the wonderful decor, the food, festivities, and capturing it all behind my lens was wonderful. As much as I wanted to stay at the luxurious hotel on the beach, I had to make the business decision of staying at the hotel right across the street from the convention center. I must admit that I was a bit jealous that some of my chapter sorors were able enjoy the hotel, AND more importantly the beach, but taking an uber or relying on the shuttle to get me there on time for all the events just didn't see practical. I was better off, just waking up walking across the street from the hotel. The LAST day however, I was able to join my chapter sorors and I spent the entire day relaxing on the beach. After averaging 32K steps a day, just laying in the sun, and feeling the sand on my toes, and getting in the water was the PERFECT way to end the conference. 

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                                   The Mighty Midwest

Fast-forward to August.......I was asked to be the photographer for the Mighty Midwest Conference. Of course I said YES! I mean I was initiated in this region, so to connect with my Ships, Prophytes, and other Sorors who I have known before I became a Delta and since I started my Delta journey. For the FW regional conference, I missed the last week of school, this time around however, I had to miss the first week of school. Also, unlike last time, I had a bit of help. I was the lead photographer and was in charge of two other sorors who were assisting me. Now, I didn't have the worries of trying to capture everything. I created a timeline of which photographer was going to cover which event which made my life SO much easier. No more getting up at 6am to cover Delta Exercises or popping in each even to grab a few photos before heading to the next event on opposite side of the convention hall. 

I had so much fun in Ohio! Being back in my home region was incredible. Connecting and RE-connecting  with Sorors the Mighty-Mighty was incredible. It was also a great time to escape the Arizona heat. It has been one HECK of a summer here in Phoenix (triple digits for more than 100 days), so escaping the heat was a heaven. Another thing that I absolutely LOVED about this conference was the theme. It was a champion theme and I loved it!

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Here are a few photos of me in action! Very rarely do I take photos since I am so focus on capturing everything. I am grateful that a few sorors captured a few photos of me doing my "thang" and sending it to me. Thank you, Sorors!