Dear Lenora,

I’ll be graduating from college soon. While I’m excited to start the next phase of my life, I’m sad to leave the campus I’ve called “home” for four years, the lifelong friends I’ve made and, of course, Kappa Delta.

When I look back on my college years, I know I’ll remember teddy bears, green and white, Bid Days and chapter meetings. When the time comes for me to get married, I know that all my bridesmaids will be sisters from my new-member class. When I apply for jobs, I’ll be sure to mention all the leadership opportunities and team-building experience Kappa Delta has given me through officer positions.

KD has meant so much to me, so much so that I can’t imagine not being involved with Kappa Delta. I haven’t even tossed my graduation cap yet and I’m already homesick for KD. Lenora, how can I continue being a part of our amazing sisterhood after college?

Signed,

Grieving Grad

Dear Grieving Grad,

It truly warms my heart to know that Kappa Delta has been such an important part of your college experience. During my time in KD’s Alpha Chapter, I saw so many members who shared the feelings you describe when they moved on from State Female Normal School — including one of my dear friends and fellow founder, Sara Turner White.

Sara was incredibly social and friendly, and Kappa Delta had been such an integral part of her time in Farmville. Like many other sisters, Sara made it her mission to stay involved in Kappa Delta and prioritize sorority membership even after graduation. As an alumna, she frequently hosted Founders Day festivities in her home, and readings of the Ritual on those occasions brought tears to her eyes. She made a point to familiarize herself with the generations of Kappa Deltas to come, making friends with sisters even decades younger than she and acting as a mentor to them.

While there is nothing quite like the bond you share with your new-member class and the memories you make during your collegiate years, alumnae membership has its own special rewards — and it is much longer than four years! I encourage you to seek ways to stay involved because alumnae life is incredibly rewarding.

The most important and tangible piece of advice about alumnae membership that I can offer you is this: reach out to your local alumnae chapter. I hear that you can search for alumnae chapters on some newfangled tool called the internet. I suggest you inquire about membership and attend the meetings and events. Other ways you can continue involvement in Kappa Delta include volunteering for a chapter advisory board or house corporation. If you don’t live close to the college you attended, you can still volunteer with a KD chapter at a college near you.

And of course, make time to reconnect with your KD sisters. Plan a yearly trip together, touch base over the phone and show support as they start their new post-college lives.

AOT,

Lenora