Opportunity

by Susan Bonifield, Nu Beta (U of Mississippi), International Vice President of Finance

This time of year, we are often encouraged to think about those things for which we are most grateful. While I am certainly grateful for the things most people would list if asked this question, I wanted to consider this a bit more deeply this year. After some reflection, it all came down to one word – opportunity.

For example, whether we are talking about the opportunity I had to pursue higher education or the opportunities I was given to learn new skills early in my career, I believe the professional success for which I am now so grateful was achieved in large part because of those opportunities.

In AOII, we have both the privilege of seeking opportunity and the responsibility of creating opportunity. The most obvious example is the work done by the AOII Foundation through our scholarship program. As a collegian, I was fortunate enough to be the recipient of a scholarship. Now, as an AOII Foundation donor, I consider it a privilege to help create that same opportunity for a new generation of sisters. As leaders in our chapters, committees or teams, we have the ability to identify opportunities for our sisters to challenge themselves, learn and develop. As members, AOII provides us with the opportunity to lead on our campuses and in our communities. We are given a chance to contribute to the greater good through our philanthropic work and, perhaps most importantly, we are given the opportunity to form bonds of sisterhood that will sustain us throughout our lives.

Pro-Football Hall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary said, “Do you know what my favorite part of the game is? The opportunity to play.” In this busy pre-holiday season, I hope each of you will join me in taking a moment to be grateful for those games we have been given the opportunity to play and will invite others to join in the game.

Pictured above: Susan with 2016 Leadership Academy attendees.