Inspiring Real, Strong Women
Author: Natalie D. Editor: Grace C.
One of the most amazing things about the Panhellenic community is the impact we can make on others without even knowing it. This is something that Alpha Chi Omega sister Abby V. has come across after being awarded the Amy Dubois Reith Emerging Leader Award from Alpha Chi’s Headquarters as a new member.
The Amy Dubois Reith Emerging Leader Award is granted to one new member nationally each year. It is awarded to a member who displays the characteristics of a strong woman and serves as a role model for active members. This award, named after a former Alpha Chi, is a signifier of leadership and involvement. It was a complete surprise to Abby when it was announced that she was this year’s national recipient at a Beta Eta chapter event. She had absolutely no idea that she had been nominated and was stunned when her name was called.
The environment surrounding her was caring, compassionate, and excited as her roommates and her cried over the fact that she had been awarded such a prestigious honor from her sorority’s nationals. This gave her the inspiration to push even harder to be a light in the chapter and that her good works were being seen and nationally recognized.
Abby V. had the pleasure of accepting this award after being nominated by her chapter’s advisor and chapter President at the time. She says, “from the beginning of my time in the chapter, I knew that I wanted to be more involved. I did this by becoming the Vice President of Chapter Relations and Standards.”
She prides herself on knowing that she is someone that sisters can confide in and holds herself to the highest standard in regard to being a role model for those around her. In this position, she said that it is so important to have compassion for every one of her sisters, no matter the situation at hand. The importance of a unified and cohesive chapter speaks volumes to the work she wishes to do within her chapter, regardless of the position she serves in, and is one of the reasons she received this honor.
Abby maintains the idea that this award is so much larger than herself. She says that this award highlights the type of community that is being fostered in Panhellenic around Florida State University. Beyond that, she says that it's awesome to see her chapter rally behind her, even before she received the Emerging Leader Award. With Abby as a member, both Panhellenic and Alpha Chi are the real winners. She says that she hopes to be an inspiration to her sisters and foster an environment of Real, Strong Women who uphold similar ideals. She hopes that the Florida State University chapter of Alpha Chi Omega is seen as a light of inspiration to other chapters nationally and that their hard work in the community is seen beyond Greek Life.
She mentions that her chapter, locally and nationally, wants to see every woman be successful and achieve their dreams. If you foster an environment of strong women, it is no wonder that everyone has their own awards and personal victories. “It’s important to push each other to be the best versions of ourselves and hold ourselves to the highest standards as Alpha Chi Omega sisters,” she says. Being a Real, Strong Woman and inspiring others to do the same speaks more than volumes to the type of work that Abby wishes to accomplish in the future in Alpha Chi and beyond.