I’ll never forget the day I received a call from former National President Beth Langford offering me a job as a leadership development consultant. I was sitting at a local diner with my little and great-grand little eating chocolate chip pancakes for dinner when I saw a random number from Tallahassee, Florida, pop-up on my phone. I had recently returned to Hamden, Connecticut, after a weekend spent in Memphis at Kappa Delta headquarters interviewing for the LDC position.

I applied to become a LDC for Kappa Delta to give back to the organization that gave me so much during my collegiate experience, and I wanted to pay it forward. I wanted to be the same mentor that former consultants were to me.

I had always viewed the position as super glamorous, thinking every LDC was superwoman. I didn’t know there would be blood, sweat and tears along the way. More importantly, I didn’t realize the women who I would be honored to work with would change my life forever.

It’s an indescribable feeling walking into a chapter for the first time and feeling at home… seeing a member’s eyes light up when we figure out a tough bump rotation for house tours…or instantly making a connection with a sister out of a shared love of orientation…convincing a collegian to consider the “new sorority establishing on campus” and knowing that joining KD would change her life. In recruitment workshops, I was reminded of the quote, “Let no one come to you without leaving better and happier.” I am eternally grateful that each and every Kappa Delta I have met throughout the past 24 months has done exactly that.

As a second-year LDC, I had the honor of watching 15 incredible new leadership development consultants roll into Memphis on June 1, 2016, knowing they were about to embark on a crazy adventure. The late-night calls, texts and houseparty dates always put a smile on my face and made me more and more proud to call them my coworkers and friends.

Traveling professionally for the past two years has taught me to learn a few tricks of the trade. I’m no KJ McNamara, but I do know the exact time to board my flight and when the flight attendants will start gate checking carry-on luggage. I don’t want to worry about lifting 40 pounds of clothing above my head at 6 a.m. I’ve learned it takes less than 35 minutes to get from terminal A to terminal C, order an iced green tea and oatmeal from Starbucks and still catch my flight on time in Detroit. I know exactly what I’m packing in each suitcase to make my larger one no heavier than 49.5 pounds, even if Delta allows a bit of wiggle room.

The stories are endless! I often wonder what publishing agency would pick up a manuscript about travels of a sorority consultant and confuse it with fiction.

Nearly 2,700 collegians, 112 flights and 75,000 frequent flier miles later, my time as a leadership development consultant has come to an end. I might be trading in my window seat for a cubicle with a view, but I’ll never be able to express how grateful I am to have spent the last two years at 30,000 feet.

Cristina Attard
Senior Leadership Development Consultant