Hello again!
I hope everyone is enjoying this lovely weather and soaking up a lot of sun! (But remember, always wear sunscreen!) This past weekend a few of our sisters attended Zeta Days in California. I was not able to attend, but our amazing sister Brianna Weber was at the event and has written the following post recapping the wonderful time she had:
On April 13th 2012, six
UNLV Zetas and four Las Vegas area Zeta Alumnae ventured out through wind and
rain to Anaheim, California to celebrate the founding of our beloved Zeta Tau
Alpha Fraternity. We drove through intermittent rain, too much fog and stop-go
traffic ready with flower-print dresses and big, floppy hats to celebrate,
Kentucky Derby Style! We arrived midday on Friday in time to shop at Downtown
Disney for souvenirs and also to grab a bite to eat at Ralph Brennan’s New
Orleans Jazz Kitchen. Although the Beignets and Jumbo were delicious, running
through the rain from store to store (ultimately getting absolutely soaking
wet!) will be the most memorable part of the afternoon. After checking into our
hotel, wringing out our clothes and drying our hair, a few took a nap to recoup
after the road trip and cold rain while the remaining Zetas drove into
Riverside for a “Hospitality Sisterhood” and Mexicana dinner to mix and mingle with
alumnae and other chapters including Theta Phi, Kappa Theta and Theta Omega.
Due to California’s confusing
highway system, ongoing construction complete with mindboggling detours, and
forbiddance of U-turns, we were only able to spend a few minutes at the
hospitality suite to meet some classy alumnae and hear the exciting news of a
housing remodel at the Cal State Fullerton chapter as well as upcoming extensions
on the west coast. The Zeta Sisterhood Dinner took over the back of the
restaurant, Don Pedro, with our laughter and excited voices. It was great to
see as many collegiate members as alumna Zetas attending! Several of our Zeta
celebrities, most notably Dolores Gastineau and Deb Ensor, were in attendance
as well. Of course, the ladies of Las Vegas (which were Victoria Matherly,
Ramona Farley, soon-to-be TLC Lauren Simons and myself) had the most vivacious
and spirited table! Or at least we were the loudest! It was so nice to catch up
with another founding sister and talk about the next stage of our Zeta life,
post-graduation with an Alumna. Talking with Ramona was just like talking with
any other Zeta which proves that sisterhood is transcendent and I’m reassured
in knowing that wherever we end up in the next stage of our lives, there will
be Zetas waiting to welcome us.
We
were up bright and early Saturday morning and off to the races! Zeta “Day at
the Races” (Kentucky Derby races that is) was held in Anaheim Hills – a
beautiful suburb of the city. We filled the banquet hall with hats, hats and
more hats! After a quick registration, some coffee and a plate of fruit, we had
a chance to hear about what the Southern California
chapters have been up to. UNLV Iota Eta received some fantastic awards as well!
We were proud to receive a Certificate of Excellence for Maintaining Total in
2010-2011 and a Certificate of Excellence for Meeting Quota in Fall 2011. To
top it off, all three California
chapters received the same certification. We were so happy to hear our province
has been doing quality work! Our chapter also received recognition for Campus
Involvement commending our ability to reach out into the Greek as well as
non-Greek community during our philanthropy events and lending our efforts to
organizations on and off campus.
Sisters Victoria Matherly, Cassidy Berglund, Brianna Weber, Alyssa Bowman and Lily Gillogly
We had a fantastic number of sisters
recognized for their Academic Merit, receiving a 3.5 or higher during the
previous academic year. Overall, in our province, we were proud to learn that
125 sisters fell into this category. We look forward to doubling it by Zeta Day
2013! The graduating seniors were all given thoughtful gifts to help prepare us
for job hunting and career-life and also encouraged to join an Alumnae chapter
as soon as possible. Iota Eta was proud to honor Victoria Matherly with the Outstanding
Senior Award, which is very much deserved! We had a delicious lunch and break
to buy raffle tickets in hopes of winning phenomenal prizes such as a Zeta
merchandise or a movie night in basket. We all took a few turns in the Zeta Day
Photo Booth with wacky props and silly poses – another memory to take home! We
shopped for Zeta gear, some even homemade, from different Alumnae chapters and
chatted with other sisters. We watched humbly to see our Alumnae advisors,
Ramona Farley and Aimee Wise honored with awards and gifts. Our small but
mighty table consisted of Sara Geary (our Iota Eta representative), Cassidy
Berglund, Alyssa Bowman, Lily Gillogly, Victoria Matherly, Lauren Simons,
Melissa Becht, Ramona Farley, Aimee Wise, and me. And yet another honor! our
very own Ramona was featured in the Kentucky Derby Hat Fashion Show and was a
finalist. In the end, we voted unanimously for a wildly decorated ZTA turquoise
and silver tulle-decorated hat worn by a White Violet sister. And as always, we
teared up listening to Deb Ensor sing “Feels Like Home.”
Iota Eta's seniors Brianna Weber and Victoria Matherly
Iota Eta's outstanding senior Victoria Matherly
I am so glad I took the opportunity
to spend more time with my sisters at Zeta Day. It was exciting to hear how
well our other chapters are doing and I’m very glad to have spent more time
with our alumnae and advisors; the clock is ticking and soon I’ll be joining an
alumnae chapter! The weekend was exhausting and the weather was not always kind
to us, but I wouldn’t change a single second of that trip. It was a
sisterhood-filled weekend and I look forward to NLC and convention in the
coming years. We celebrated our founding in style and I have never been more
proud to wear the badge of ZTA.
"Love, the greatest of all things"
-Brianna
Weber
All of us collegiate members are hoping to attend Zeta days next year and are so proud of our girls that represented us!
As of right now, we are busy doing last-minute preparations for our philanthropy this Sunday! It's supposed to be hot (100 degrees!) but we could not be more excited to "strike out cancer." Updates about how the event goes and how much money we raise will be posted as soon as possible. Have a fabulous week and weekend!
ZLAM!
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