Delta Delta Delta - Cornell University

PAGE 3 Delta Delta Delta can read a brief update on what we've been up to related to infrastructure and the house in the Property Committee article. For those of you tracking my daughter's interest in the Greek system, here's an update: just like letter jackets are back in vogue with young people, so is the "Greek wear" we all purchased in college. She wears my letter sweatshirt or a Tri Delta t-shirt a couple of times each week. So do her girlfriends whose moms went to school all over the country. There is still something so compelling about a group of young women, a collection of adamant supporters, a squad of undergraduate excitement. I believe that collective has always made us hopeful and continues to do so. What we can accomplish with each other and for each other when we are bonded together is so much greater than what we can do apart. Right now Maddy is compiling her list of colleges to which she wants to apply. And after she identifies each one, she has been asking, 'Mom, is there a Tri Delta chapter on campus?' I dutifully look it up and make a note for her to put into her ever-expanding file folder. And in case you wondered, Cornell is on her list. A reminder that Cornell Reunion will be the weekend of June 7, 2019. We'll have a gathering of Alpha Beta alumnae on June 8 from 1-4 p.m. at the Chapter House, 118 Triphammer. We hope you'll join us if you're returning to Ithaca. And be sure to take and send along some pictures! It has been such a pleasure serving on the House Corporation board these past three years. I look forward to continuing my support of such an amazing group of women of all ages, as we seek to grow and learn together. Delta Love, Heather Brit '93 AB House Corp President heather.rae.britt@gmail.com MARGIE WANG '79 PRAISES ALPHA BETA FOR CONTINUING TO RECRUIT GOOD-HEARTED YOUNG WOMEN I t can be hard to find yourself on a large campus like Cornell's without aligning yourself with an organization. That was the case for Margie Wang '79. A few of her friends went through formal recruitment and had good experiences with Tri Delta, so she did the same and felt a very similar connection. Alpha Beta presented Margie with a diverse membership, complete with young women from varied backgrounds, interests, and fields of study. "For me it represented a good depiction of the university, but in a smaller capacity," Margie said. "I have since realized that through your career and whole life you meet people you know nothing about and often must be comfortable in a room with people you don't know. I credit the recruitment process at Cornell in helping me become accustomed to that comfort and learning about other people. I highly recommend Greek life for any incoming students. It's a great experience and gives you a sense of how diverse the world is after college." Someone who took that advice was Margie's daughter, Marlene '11. She not only went through the recruitment process, but followed in Margie's footsteps directly to Alpha Beta. "When Marlene joined Tri Delta, I felt great joy and pride. It brought back some wonderful memories and I could tell they were recruiting the same type of young women as when I was a collegiate member—good-hearted young women who wanted to do good and help others. That was a fantastic feeling to see the nature of who was joining hadn't changed." Margie's career journey started at a male-dominated engineering firm. It was very important that she found a mentor who would support her and help her obtain her MBA while maintaining a full-time job. "In changing jobs within Exxon Mobil every 18-24 months, I learned about commitment, rigor, discipline, accountability, and management and interpersonal skills which served me very well." After two decades in the industry with Exxon Mobil, Margie joined Girl Scouts of the USA as Vice President Finance and Technology and was part of the transformation that took Girl Scout councils from over 300 to 112, as well as led the adoption of a unified membership platform for the movement. With 30-plus years of experience in finance, technology, and business management under her belt, she now works as COO and CFO for JA (Junior Achievement) Worldwide, which operates in over 100 countries and serves more than 10 million students every year teaching youth about entrepreneurship, work readiness and financial literacy. "I've had the good fortune of working for two renowned not-for-profit organizations leveraging my skills to make a greater impact on youth globally, and make the world a better place. I am grateful for all of life's opportunities that have led to a fulfilling life of service." Margie and her husband, Bill, live in Madison, New Jersey. They have two children, Marlene and Alexander (a Cornell '14 graduate—Big Red runs deep in the Wang family!). Margie is a gardener and really enjoys being outside and being with nature, seeing the product of her labor. She also enjoys traveling and meeting people from different parts of the world, especially young people. "No matter where they come from, everyone wants to succeed. Young people, in particular, need that lending hand to give them the confidence to go after their dreams." You can contact Margie at bmw7784@aol.com.

• Cover