#divineninelover

This is in response to the person that asked if people who crossed grad regret not crossing undergrad. I’m a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.; I crossed through an alumnae chapter in the spring of 2017 (deuce club!). I was in my early 30s when I crossed. Two things.

One…no, I have no regrets. There are some significant benefits to crossing into an alumnae chapter, IMO. I’m settled into the community that I live in; my line sisters and I got right to work in the same chapter we crossed in. We still hang out all the time; if I had crossed as a senior, I might have had to immediately move away from my line sisters and my chapter of initiation. My prophytes are women who have been in Delta for 10, 30, 50+ years - the wealth of knowledge and depth of experience there is just phenomenal. Some of them knew founders! Most of them know past national officers! The history of the org that you research - they LIVED it. There’s also a sense of confidence in myself and maturity that I had as a 30something woman that I didn’t have at 21 that I think helped me with my process and with being active in my chapter now. I definitely feel that I bring more to my organization now than I had to bring when I was a senior in college, in terms of skills and knowledge.

When you really ponder it deeply, you have to examine the reasons that you want to be in the org of your choice. The collegiate lifestyle is a blast (I’m sure), but at the end of the day, what do you want out of your LIFELONG membership? What are you looking for? Does what you’re looking for line up with what alumnae/graduate membership provides - the bonds of sister/brotherhood, a deep commitment and connection to the communities in your area, a commitment to public service and scholarship? When I sat down and asked myself that question, I found that it did. (And truth be told, even someone who crosses as a collegiate will spend the vast majority of their lifetime commitment as a graduate member anyway.)

Now that I am a member, I can compare the nearly ten years of post-college life before I crossed with the time since. I’ve had close girlfriends before and I’ve done lots of public service before, but I can truly say that there’s really nothing like BGLO life even as a graduate member. If you’re looking for what we’re cooking, it’s worth it. Do I sometimes feel a little twinge at not having had an undergrad experience? Sure, especially when I plan on returning for homecoming (ten-year reunion, y'all!) or see collegiate neo presentations and such. But really when I reflect, I loved my experience and my line and I love my chapter. I wouldn’t trade my line sisters for anything in the world. I personally haven’t (yet?) caught any shade from any Greeks about when and how I crossed. There’s still mad love all around. I know that’s going to differ based on region and the circles you run in. And all the incredible, wonderful things about being a Delta completely outweigh the little flutters of occasional wistfulness.