My Favorite Sigma Kappa Poem

I’m sure you’ve read the poem “Sigma Kappa is…” If you haven’t, you need to…just have a tissue handy. That was my poem during recruitment. I fought every year to read it during preference. Of course, no one else wanted to memorize it so it wasn’t that hard to win. That poem reminds us that Sigma Kappa is more than letters on a shirt or a triangle badge. Sigma Kappa is listening with all your heart to a sister who is crying because her heart is broken. Sigma Kappa is closing the door behind you to tell your best friend that you’re happy now and you’re getting married. Sigma Kappa is borrowing a skirt from Colleen and pearls from Janel. Sigma Kappa is stumbling up the back stairs and walking out the front door.

Remember the poem now and those feelings?

I pay my alumnae dues for the same reasons I fought to memorize that poem each year. I pay because I am grateful for my “when the bottom falls out” sisters who I call when I need a listening ear and non-judgmental heart. I pay because I value my memories and my future adventures. I pay because I’m grateful Sigma Kappa helped me to walk confidently out the front door.

Sigma Kappa is a part of me and I am part of her.

Money is tight. Believe me, I get it. I greatly value one extra night of not cooking and hitting the nearest take-out place. But I also know the amazing feeling of being a contributing member of Sigma Kappa. I value the feeling of giving back to the organization that changed my life. I want to thank Sigma Kappa for teaching me to interview and be interviewed during recruitment. I want to thank her for teaching me to work with different personalities and backgrounds. I want to ensure that other young women are receiving the support and resources needed to develop into independent and confident women.

Less than 3% of alumnae pay their dues.

Less than 3% of our membership pay dues. But it is more than just paying $25 a year (that’s it – national dues are ONLY $25 a year!). It’s more than being eligible to win one of five Kindle Fires (although you can and you should!) Paying your alumnae dues is about you being a part of the sisterhood knot. It’s about you holding tight to your part of the string so that no one falls through the cracks. One day, I hope my daughter will stumble up the same back stairs, find loving arms to support her, and walk confidently out the front door. I’m willing to support Sigma Kappa today to ensure so my daughter can join tomorrow. I ask you today, is Sigma Kappa part of your lifetime or just a college memory? If she is just a memory, I hope you take her out, dust her off, and embrace the lifetime legacy of Sigma Kappa. Remember what it feels like to be a part of something bigger than just you, while at the same time something so personal and close to your heart.

Are you willing to Live Sigma Kappa?

This post was written by Amy Denson, National Vice President for Alumnae