Washington, DC– October 28-30, 2016

Submitted by: Rebekah Ethridge, Alpha Lambda Delta President

Every year, National Alpha Lambda Delta hosts a leadership conference. Before the 2016 presidential election, ALD members and advisors gathered in the nation’s capital to discuss topics relevant to each chapter, while meeting others from all over the nation. After registration, there was an opening social where all the ALD members and advisors met. After the social and welcome, keynote speaker Connie Aramento, gave a presentation on “The Power of Balance.” “Are you a YES person? The one who is the first to help, to volunteer or take the lead? The person others always turn to because you do things well or know the answer? As leaders in today's world, you aim high towards achieving your own personal passions, interests, successes, and making a difference in your world and communities, and that is because you said YES. Yes, to academic scholarship, to opportunities, to learning, and to your personal growth and helping others. Managing your time with a full plate can become difficult and often our overall well-being and mindset can shift. During the Power of Balance; you will say YES to balance, define what “balance” means to you, experience exercises such as the Power of One Perspective that will help you feel in your power, and learn strategies and tips to help sync your academic and non-academic experiences.”(nationalald.org/attend) Connie Aramento challenged the ALD officers to a 30-day challenge to take time for themselves and do a breathing exercise.

Participants learned how to truly balance the crazy lives of college students in leadership positions. Afterwards, there was a “Swag Exchange” where all the different chapters brought Alpha Lambda Delta gear to exchange with others. This activity provided some marketing tips to help improve ALD organizations.

The following day consisted of various breakout sessions. Some were hosted by the keynote speaker, while others were hosted other ALD members. These sessions provided hints to help improve SHSU’s Alpha Lambda Delta’s chapter. After the breakout sessions, conference attendees had the opportunity to explore Washington D.C. SHSU’s Alpha Lambda Delta President, Rebekah Ethridge, and Treasurer, Grace Njagi, were able to visit various museums and monuments, such as The Holocaust Museum and The Washington Monument. Later that afternoon, during the Alpha Lambda Delta Awards Banquet and Dinner, several chapters were recognized.

SHSU ALD members that attended are excited to share the knowledge and tips they learned at this conference with other ALD members. When asked about the conference, Rebekah said, “Never in a million years did I think I would get to go to Washington D.C. I learned so many helpful hints for SHSU’s chapter and cannot wait to implement some of them next semester.”