Life On The Road So Far
by Shaunna Maxwell, Lambda Eta (Grand Valley State U), 2018-2019 Educational Leadership Consultant
Late nights, early mornings, and a whole lot of coffee. Life on the road thus far has been nothing short of exciting as recruitment season is in full swing. Every chapter visit has presented its own unique set of challenges, and I’ve learned no matter how many notes I took during training or how many manuals I read, there is no way to prepare for the unexpected. When in doubt, I know I can always count on my teammates to work through a situation with me, or if all else fails…call my supervisor Kaya!
I’ve spent most of this semester in the south, and since I grew up in Michigan, getting used to the heat has been a major adjustment. Life on the road has also had its fair share of learning moments. Something that has been a struggle for me since the start of training is packing—I’m the worst. Whether it be because I didn’t need it, or I simply didn’t have room for it, I’m only five weeks in and have already sent two boxes home! I’ll probably have it down to a science by the time my last visit comes around.
While we’re on the road we are our own travel agents, and this has already posed some interesting situations. For example, I booked a flight to travel from Fort Smith, Arkansas to Tahlequah, Oklahoma, which would have otherwise been about an hour and a half drive. I’m not quite sure how that got overlooked, but at the end of the day I only added about an hour to my travel time. Now I always triple check the maps before I book anything!
I was, and still am, looking forward to the upcoming months of “firsts,” and so far, these ladies have not let me down! To start, all of my travels this semester are to states I’ve never been before. I started this crazy adventure with the women of Omega Sigma at Oklahoma State University. Spending my first recruitment visit with them was a blast. Before I left, we made sure to visit the infamous Eskimo Joe’s, and it did not disappoint.
From there, I traveled to Sigma Theta at Sam Houston State University. Huntsville, Texas is truly one of a kind and is filled with so much history. I enjoyed exploring their campus, the city and all of the late-night snow cone runs to Bahama Buck’s.
My third visit was Upsilon Beta at the University of Arkansas Fort Smith. It was a pleasure getting to know these women and learn about their collegiate experience because it was so different from my own. I come from a chapter size of about 140 whereas they had about 40 active members! It was the craziest thing to me!
Finally, my most recent visit was to Chi Theta at Northeastern State in Oklahoma. During this visit, I was able to be more of a tourist and had the opportunity to attend a Cherokee Pow Wow, go hiking at Bath Tub Rocks, try some of the local restaurants, and even made a stop at the center of the universe!
I’m currently visiting Sigma Rho at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania. Fall is my favorite season, and I am thrilled I get to spend some time in the north east during this time. I look forward to all they will accomplish during recruitment this week and I’m so excited that I get to celebrate Bid Day with them!
Life on the road has been an incredible experience for me so far. Five visits down, eight to go, and I can’t wait to see what these next few months have in store!