Positive Impact
Writer: Lauren B. / Editor: Bella B. and Ariana W. / Photos: Chapter Provided
Sydney C. is committed to making the world a better place, a goal that she embraces in all aspects of her life. She currently serves as Delta Delta Delta (Tri Delta)’s Director of Philanthropy. In this role, she plans all of their philanthropic events and fundraises money. These efforts are done in service of the chapter’s partners: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and Maura’s Voice. While this may sound simple in theory, Sydney pointed out that to be successful, “you need a lot of time and patience.” After all, one event entails seamlessly coordinating venues, vendors, chapter members, and catering to make sure everything goes off without a hitch.
Being Tri Delta’s Director of Philanthropy has also helped Sydney experience her sisterhood in a whole new light and impact the overall chapter in new ways. This past summer, she and her Vice President of Campus Relations, Sydney G., had the opportunity to attend the Annual St. Jude/Tri Delta Celebration in Memphis, Tennessee. “Attending the event at St Jude’s was truly eye-opening,” said Sydney G. “It was such a great experience getting to see the amazing cause and place that all of the money we raise goes toward.” Over 300 women from 141 Tri Delta chapters were also in attendance. Both Sydney(s) were able to attend panels made up of St Jude families and attended breakout sessions to learn more about St. Jude and to discuss future fundraising efforts.
In addition, there was also a Women in Leadership panel on the power of sisterhood. Sydney C. had a personal experience with sisterhood on the trip. She expressed how - “honestly [Sydney G.] and I were not super close before—we just didn’t really hang out.” However, on the trip, Sydney revealed that “every night we’d get to the hotel room and I’d talk to her more than I ever had. It really brought into perspective that sometimes if you just sit down and have a conversation with someone, you genuinely have so much in common with them.”
Although her work to support St Jude takes up a lot of her time, Sydney still manages to find other ways to be a positive influence. Outside of her chapter, she is working to impact Florida State University and the greater Tallahassee community. Inclusivity is an important value to her, which is why she’s involved in Best Buddies, an international organization that serves individuals with disabilities by creating opportunities for friendship and leadership development. When asked about the nonprofit, Sydney expressed, “I really love the fact that they’re trying to integrate those with intellectual and developmental disabilities with the FSU community as a whole.” She’s so passionate about the organization that she even served as their Greek Relations Director for the 2021-2022 school year!
Her leadership position in Tri Delta and in Best Buddies has cultivated Sydney’s variety of skills and passions relevant to her field of interest as a Biomedical Engineering major. She hopes to eventually work in a medical field that supports women. “Having the position that I have in Tri Delta, I’ve definitely had to develop better public speaking,” she explained, “which is actually really important in the healthcare field and to my major.” The role as Director of Philanthropy has also allowed Sydney to see first-hand how St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital affects the lives of patients and their families everyday, something directly tied to her studies.
After all of her experience in a myriad of positions across multiple organizations, Sydney has one piece of advice: “Just go for it.” She elaborates, “you should really just apply. If it’s for a job, if it’s for a position, if it’s for an internship—just apply. The worst that’s going to happen is they say no, but the best thing that happens is that you’re given that opportunity which can really lead you through new doors and places that you’ve never thought you’d be.” Internalizing this message had taken Sydney far, and she will remember it as she continues to positively impact the world.