ZetaLand: (n) a mystical land where one can be united with hundreds of one's sisters in order to gain friendship, learn leadership skills, and win fabulous awards for one's chapter. I just returned home from ZetaLand where I was privileged to meet over 500 of my sisters.
Yes, you read that right. 571 sorority women united in one location at one time. Here is an extremely brief recap of an incredible 4 days with my fantastic sisters.
Day One: Wake up crazy early to go to the airport. Sit awkwardly in the gate area eyeing every college age female and debating if they are one of your sisters. Manage to unite with several sisters and begin your journey to Indianapolis together. I began in Philadelphia, flew to Detroit with 9 amazing women, had a one hour connection in Detroit, and then flew to Indianapolis. About half of the flight to Indianapolis was composed of Zetas. Arrive in Indianapolis and head to #ZTANLC. Bob and weave through all 571 women in order to find the others from your chapter. Link up with them and head to lunch and opening session. Attend several sessions and workshops for the rest of the day. NLC (National Leadership Conference) was themed "Create the Change." We were all grouped into C.I.A. groups (Change in Action) for the majority of our workshops. These women are absolutely incredible!
Day Two: Crawl out of bed in time for a Yoplait themed breakfast. Yoplait and Zeta Tau Alpha are partners in the fight against breast cancer. On Day Two, we learned that Zeta Tau Alpha would be receiving a $15,000 donation to the Zeta Tau Alpha Foundation from Yoplait in recognition of the pink lids we helped collect. Day Two was spent in and out of multiple workshops and speeches addressing the theme of change. The speakers included several Past National Presidents for Zeta. We are privileged to have numerous living Past Presidents and all were in attendance at NLC.
Day Three: We were invited to attend a special breakfast to learn about the Traveling Leadership Consultant (TLC) position. TLCs spend the year after graduating traveling the country in order to provide leadership, guidance, and assistance for Zeta chapters. A record setting 100 women were in attendance to learn more. After lunch, we were all shuttled off to 3450 Founders Road. For those of you who do not know, that is the address of Zeta Tau Alpha's International Office (we are international rather than national due to our chapters in Canada). Indianapolis is home to many offices for fraternities and sororities. Around the corner from our office, you can find office space for Alpha Xi Delta, Theta Chi (they own the old office from ZTA), and many others. However, I think ours is definitely the most impressive. Tell me what you think:
Day Four: Before leaving Indianapolis, we gathered as a group for a special Zeta ritual. Obviously, I cannot post the details of it, but it was a fantastic experience that I will treasure for many years. It was very special to unite with all of my sisters around a ritual that bonds us together. After the ritual, we all departed from the hotel and headed to the airport. I linked back up with the 9 women I traveled to Indianapolis with and we reversed our trip, flying to Detroit and then Philadelphia.
NLC: 3 chapter awards. Countless memories and friendships. An unforgettable experience.
Zeta Love,
Lynn
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