Costa Rica 2019

At the beginning of this month our sisters Alexis Willingham, Aurora Henriksen, Dacrie Depping, and Lindy Wilson had the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica with Woods Around the World. They Traveled from coast to coast visiting San Jose, Turtuguero, Sarapiqui, La Fortuna, and Guanacaste. They were able to learn about the culture and explore the nature around them. One of the main things that they learned in Coast Rica was the use of the phrase "pura vida" meaning pure life. This phrase highlighted the simplicity in life and how everything should be valued. Below each sister explains the trip from their perspective.

 Dacrie Depping really enjoyed the trip to Costa Rica. She though everything was so beautiful and green. She stated that "during my time in Costa Rica I learned that even with very little, they are happy as can be and it showed." She felt that it was hard to pick her favorite part of the trip because she enjoyed everything so much. However, she felt that white water rafting in Sarapiqui was one of her favorite experiences in Costa Rica. It was something that she always wanted to try and now she gets to check it off of her bucket list! She stated that her time in Costa Rica is something she will never forget. The picture above is from the day our sisters went snorkeling and walked the beach. They found lots of unique sea shells and saw many interesting fish. This was the area where they spotted a sea turtle, sea horse, eel, and a sting ray.

 

 

Coast Rica was Alexis Willingham's first trip out of the country. She stated that going to Costa Rica was a really amazing experience for her and that she learned much more about the culture than she expected to. She was surprised to eat rice and beans with every meal and she stepped out of her comfort zone by trying different foods such as octopus and tamales. One of her favorite parts of the trip was when they went on the chocolate tour in La Fortuna. On the tour they got to see the cacao plant, the seeds within, and how to create chocolate out of them. The seed goes through several steps including fermentation, drying, roasting, shell, and cacao licor. Through all of these steps they got to try the seed in each stage! At the end of the tour they tasted the homemade chocolate and the industrial chocolate. Alexis said the biggest thing that stuck out to her was that the industrial chocolate melted a lot faster than the homemade. She also talked about her favorite part of the trip. She stated that, "Snorkeling in Guanacaste on the pacific coast was my favorite part of the trip. This was special for me because I got to swim along with a sea turtle, which is my favorite animal."

 

 

Visiting Costa Rica was a wonderful experience that came with a lot learning opportunities and unexpected views of nature. Our four sisters had the opportunity to see many iguanas, monkeys, alligators, and many types of birds including the colored macaw. Our sisters also had the opportunity to see a sea turtle as mentioned above. Aurora Henriksen mentioned that before they left for the trip they were told that the turtle season was over and it was very unlikely that they would see one. However, when they went they did have the opportunity to see one and swim with it. Aurora stated that seeing the sea turtle "was the best part of the trip. It was so interesting to learn about them and how threatened they are by other animals and humans." She stated that after seeing how much littering affects the turtles it made her more aware of her plastic use. Aurora really wants to do her part in helping the sea turtles now.

 

 

The Costa Rica trip was Lindy Wilson's second trip with Woods Around the World. Her first trip was to Belize and was a great experience, so she was excited to see what Costa Rica would be like. The trip was an eye opening experience for lindy. She stated, "I got to travel and try new things with my best friends and also had the chance to see how blessed we really are in our everyday life." In the picture above Lindy is enjoying the warm water at the Baldi Hot Springs Hotel and Spa. This was an enjoyable and relaxing experience for them on the trip.

 









Leadership Academy 2019

On January 13, 2019 the Delta Chi Chapter of Alpha Chi Omega sent four executive members to Leadership Academy held annually in Indianapolis, Indiana. Leadership Academy offers training that combines innovative learning sessions with sisterhood to inspire new officers when they return to their chapters. The four members that attended this year were our president Sage Schuman, vice president new member education Shannon Cunningham, vice president risk management Claudia Dace, and vice president Ritual and fraternity appreciation Madde Klinkey.

Once our executive members returned home they were asked what their biggest takeaway from leadership academy was. Sage Schuman stated that her experience at leadership academy was so much more than she expected and that she loved every second of it. Friday they enjoyed a session with Lori Hart. Saturday she attended breakout sessions with other chapter presidents across the country where they talked about their responsibilities, "being a good sister, friend and Real Strong officer", leadership, bystander intervention, how to handle hard conversations and navigating conflicts. Sage also had the opportunity to represent the Delta Chi chapter by performing the closing ritual ceremony in front of 700 other members. She said, "leadership academy was all in all an awesome experience that I wish every Alpha Chi could participate in."

Claudia Dace, vice president risk management, thought that Leadership Academy was a life changing experience. She is a freshman this year and was a little intimidated by taking on the risk management position. However, having the opportunity to go to Leadership Academy and work with other vice presidents and facilitators helped her gain the confidence she needed. She was able to share potential ideas with other officers and gain tips on how to make the chapter the best it can possibly be. Claudia said that after going to Leadership Academy and learning about mental health and smart drinking, "I found myself thinking about my sisters and how much we (as young adults) don't really know about these issues. I want my sisters to feel safe and comfortable in our chapter and this opportunity gave me the tools I need to reach this goal." Claudia learned a lot and was truly blessed to work along side other amazing leaders. It was something she will never forget.

Shannon Cunningham, vice president new member educator, also had an amazing experience. Shannon said during the weekend she was able to collaborate with other women who hold the same position she does in their own chapters. She mentioned that they started the weekend with a formal opening ceremony and that participating the ceremony with over 700 sisters was a once in a lifetime experience. Shannon also stated that they "attended keynote speakers Dr. Lori Hart and Melissa Ruiz who inspired us to change the amount of participation on our campus's." Shannon participated in break out groups over inclusive leadership, commanding the room, action planning, bystander intervention and more. "This is truly an experience I will take with me for the rest of my life! I'm so thankful for this opportunity!"

Madde Klinkey, vice president Ritual and fraternity appreciation, learned a lot from advisors and consultants. She stated that her favorite part of Leadership Academy "was talking to advisors and consultants about how their collegiate membership experience changed their path in life and learning how I can create that feeling and bond through small changes in ritual and my attitude." Madde is extremely excited for this year and all the new things to come.