Alpha Delta Pi - Oklahoma State University

2 The Lion's Share Note from AO Chapter President Collegiate Sisters Are Excited for the New Chapter House and a Return to Normalcy M organ Ross '04 went through recruitment for the reason many young women do: to find a home away from home, which she found in Alpha Delta Pi. She made many strong friendships, and the best memories come from within the chapter house itself, like gathering around the piano and cramming into the TV room for Grey's Anatomy. What Morgan didn't realize when she joined was the impact that ADPi would have on her as a freshman and in the years to come. "In college, the alumnae advisors I worked with taught me of the lifelong commitment to Alpha Delta Pi," she said. Her leadership roles as an undergraduate helped prepare her for her career and post-college life, and the relationships she formed with the advisors inspired her to become an advisor and mentor, too. She first became a Scholarship Advisor in August of 2009, followed by advising the Total Membership Education Team the next year. Morgan served in this role until becoming the Executive Chapter Advisor in 2020, a position that has taught her even more about leadership and sisterhood. Of course, advising during a pandemic presented new challenges for the whole team and chapter. "The college experience has been so different for our women, but they have been strong and resilient through the past year. As advisors, we have encouraged them to be creative and find ways to still engage members when in-person events have been limited." On the positive side, Morgan has enjoyed the use of Zoom for meetings, saving time from the hour drive to Stillwater every week. "I became an advisor to give back to the sorority that gave me so much," Morgan says. "I love the relationships built with alumnae and collegiate sisters." One of her favorite experiences was advising a sister who now serves alongside her on the advisory team. She is also thrilled for the new chapter house as it nears completion. "It has been challenging not having a place to gather, and most of our members have never lived in a chapter house; we are all so excited." In her professional life, Morgan spent nearly 10 years teaching before becoming a reading specialist. "This was a dream come true," she explained. "I love helping struggling readers, especially those with dyslexia, overcome obstacles to be successful students." In the last year, Morgan also became an instructional specialist and started teaching a college class for pre-service teachers as an adjunct instructor. Morgan lives in Yukon, Oklahoma, and loves hitting the hiking trails around the state with her fiancé (whom she will marry in May). She can be reached at chapteradvisor.ao@gmail.com. Hi, I am Mackenzie, and I am the new Chapter President for Alpha Omicron. I am a junior studying Hospitality and Tourism Management with minors in Human Resource and Marketing. Throughout my years in Alpha Delta Pi, I have also served as Director of New Member Experience and Vice President of Marketing. I started my term as President in November. Since November, Oklahoma State University and Panhellenic guidelines have allowed us to start sisterhood dinners, sisterhood events, philanthropy events, and formals again! It is refreshing for everyone to be able to get together and remember why we joined this organization. Last fall, we had our annual Pizookie Night event, which raised $3,500 for the Ronald McDonald House Charities. As we continue to work on our involvement with RMHC, we have an upcoming sisterhood event called ADPOPS. This spring, we were able to participate in Continuous Open Bidding and received seven new Alphas! They were initiated on April 2, 2021. As construction on our beautiful new chapter house continues, I am getting more and more excited for everyone to be able to bond together again. After a crazy few years of not having a house, and COVID-19 putting a damper on normal life, Alpha Omicron is ready for some sisterhood bonding time, the joy of living with sisters, and to all be together! I am looking forward to everyone enjoying the house like I did my freshman year. My favorite memory in the old house is sitting in the living room with one of my fellow sisters, Kenna Taylor '18, every day after we ate lunch at the house and doing homework. We basically lived there as we were there so much! Just having a place that felt like home made my freshman year so much more enjoyable. My number one goal as Chapter President is to make all of our members, from new Alphas to graduating seniors, feel like they got as much leadership experience, happy memories, and love as they could in their four years as Delta members. I hope to implement new ideas and traditions to make a difference! I am honored Helping Each Other Reach Success Morgan Ross '04 Reflects on Her Years Advising Alpha Omicron and beyond thankful to serve such an amazing organization and cannot wait to see how this year turns out! Love and Loyally, Mackenzie Gallagher '18 Chapter President 2021-2022 Chapter Officers

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