PRESIDENT’S NOTE

Dear Sisters,

Priya Parker, author of The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters, encouraged her Instagram followers to ask themselves three questions before accepting or regretting invitations to events during the holiday season.

First, what do you actually want to attend? Second, who do you want to spend time with or build community with? And third, what occasion or moment are you hoping to mark and with whom? She summed it up this way: “When you think more deeply about what you want to attend and why, you start building the community (and life) you actually want.”

As I received and responded to invitations throughout the holiday season, I asked myself those three questions. My intentions quickly became clear: I would be decisive and therefore, courteous to the host by immediately replying with a yes or a no response. I would not say yes and then bail at the last minute. I would not be stressed about trying to make it to everything; instead, I would be thoughtful about who I really wanted to gather with. I would be selective about how I spent my time and realistic about what I truly had the capacity for. I would be present and in the moment rather than worrying about racing off to the next event.

I would send the host a thank you and share a few words about what made that event special for me. I would savor time spent with family, dear friends, and sorority Sisters after over two years of lost opportunities due to the pandemic. Come 2023, I would look back on the holiday season and feel recharged and joyful rather than drained and dreading the first day back in the office after vacation.

Over the past year, I’ve heard from many Sisters who are anxious about how they show up for their Sisters, friends, classmates, and families. Research tells us that sorority

women feel more connected to their peers due to their membership, find their chapters to be supportive of them, and feel like their chapter Sisters genuinely care

about them. Additionally, alumnae are five times more likely to be satisfied with all five areas of well-being: physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and intellectual.

This tells me that the sorority experience and membership in Alpha Sigma Tau provides a sense of belonging and sets the stage for overall wellness in ways other communities don’t. Isn’t that the value proposition for membership? By joining Alpha Sigma Tau, you will build and maintain meaningful and sincere lifelong relationships and graduate into the world with a better education, a stronger network and support system, and more life-changing experiences.

Let’s take Priya’s advice. Think about who you want to gather with and why. Start building the community that YOU want. Leverage your membership in Alpha Sigma Tau to help you navigate the challenges you face. And always remember that you are not alone.

Jamie Jones Miller

Psi 1995/James Madison National President