Delta Gamma Convention: Part 2

Kicking off Part 2 of the Gamma Zeta three part series on DG Convention is a past Gamma Zeta chapter president and 2012-2013 Delta Gamma Collegiate Development Consultant, Courtney Lanaux. Enjoy!

(Elaine Vidrine, Kelsey Hyde, & Courtney Lanaux at DG Convention)

Amanda Truman, a Gamma Zeta alumna, and Director of Events for Delta Gamma Fraternity, asked me to name my favorite part of Convention this morning in training at Executive Offices. I thought for a moment before answering. Was my favorite part listening to Michael Hingson speak on behalf of Delta Gamma’s Lectureship series? Was it the Panhellenic luncheon where nearly all 26 NPC sororities came together as one sisterhood? Was it the archives display or the opening entertainment from Out of the Dog House?

Although I truly enjoyed all of these events, I have to say that my absolute favorite part of Convention is meeting Delta Gammas from coast to coast, hearing their story, feeling their passion to “do good” and being inspired by their story. It’s an indescribable feeling to be a part of something so spectacular. My favorite part of Convention is being in a room with 900 women and reciting DG's ritual as one. Many of these women, I don’t know and some I’ll never know, but there will always be that one thing that unifies us and that is Delta Gamma. Convention, for me, was when I saw the “big picture” of Delta Gamma. It’s when you realize that there is so much more to Delta Gamma beyond the four collegiate years. Convention is when you realize that Delta Gamma is for life.

(Gamma Zeta alumnae from various states at DG Convention)

I often wonder what our three founders, Mary Comfort Leonard, Eva Webb Dodd, and Anna Boyd Ellington, would think of Delta Gamma today. If only they could see firsthand how far Delta Gamma has grown throughout these past years. As I sat in the back of the room for Initiation at Convention, I couldn’t help but recall our Founders and their mission to start this “secret club” on the values of friendship, loyalty, and hope. Today, more than 200,000 women share those same values and wear the golden anchor badge to symbolize what was once started in 1873 at the Lewis School for Girls.

The 2012 Delta Gamma Convention was a milestone for me. It marked the first few days of my new job as a Collegiate Development Consultant. I had the opportunity to meet many women whom I will be working closely with this year as I am out in the field, traveling from coast to coast and “doing good” for the Fraternity. Convention was a great way to start my year as a CDC and the theme “Setting the Pace” truly represents the beginning of an adventure that will change my life forever.

(Courtney Lanaux, Kate Gremillion, & Kati Fratesi - Region 3 CDCs at DG Convention)

(2012-2013 CDCs at DG Convention Awards Banquet)

(Courtney Lanaux, Kate Gremillion, & Lane Harris)