Home Is Where Alpha Chi Is

Moving to a new place can come with a mix of emotions, like excitement, nervousness and hope for new opportunities. Whether you’re moving to a new city to begin your first job, settling in closer to family, relocating for a promotion or looking to try something new, finding a sense of belonging in your new location is so important! For so many, Alpha Chi Omega is the place where they find their lifelong friends in a new place. Alpha Chi Omega truly is a home away from home.  

Meredith Walski (Theta Sigma, University of North Florida) knows all too well how it feels to move to a new place! As a State Farm insurance employee for more than 15 years, Meredith moved to Atlanta, Georgia after college and later to Dallas, Texas without ever visiting the state before accepting her new role! She credits much of her ability to make meaningful connections and find belonging to Alpha Chi Omega.  

We asked Meredith a few questions about her experience moving around the country and creating close ties with her Alpha Chi Omega sisters throughout her lifetime membership experience.  

Tell us about your current Alpha Chi Omega experience and how it enriches your life?  

My roles in Alpha Chi Omega have truly filled my cup by allowing me to use my talents to help carry out our missions. I am my best self when I get to use my strengths to achieve, and what I have learned through my involvement is that a lot of the time, Alpha Chi Omega helps me fulfill that desire most, not my day job or other outlets. I have recently concluded my role as the facility operations advisor for Iota Sigma at Southern Methodist University, as well as my term as the Alpha Chi Couture Chair with Beta Kappa Beta (Dallas, Texas). I am excited to begin my new role as recruitment advisor for Iota Sigma.  

How has Alpha Chi Omega helped you create a sense of belonging in your new city?  

I am lucky to still have wonderful relationships with women I went to school with, as many do, but when I relocated to Dallas, I could not have anticipated what deep new friendships would develop through the Dallas alumnae chapter. Women who went to different schools at different times than I did have become some of my closest friends. They aren’t just my sisters; they are truly my community here in Dallas, and we do life together. We show up for each other to celebrate the good and the bad. No matter how busy life gets, these sister-friends are always a constant.  

What role did Alpha Chi Omega play in helping you feel supported during your moves?  

Knowing the network that Alpha Chi Omega has established for alumnae gave me peace of mind that I would have a starting point. Before I even packed a box to leave Atlanta, I was looking up the details around Beta Kappa Beta to see what they were doing and determine the best way to connect with them.  

What recommendations do you have for someone who is relocating and would like to build their Alpha Chi connections?   

Moving to a new place comes with so many worries – please don’t let creating new connections be one of them. Check this one off your worry list and know that you at least have a starting point. Making sure your information is updated on your Alpha Chi Omega profile is so important! Then use the resources we have – the My Alpha Chi directories are so useful to identify if there is an alumnae chapter in your area or which volunteer opportunities might be available. My experience when I relocated to Atlanta looked completely different than what I am doing now, but both started with a quick search on the Alpha Chi Omega website to find out what my options were. 

Were there any surprises in finding and connecting with Alpha Chi Omega sisters post-move?  

It shouldn’t be a surprise, but it's always such a cool realization that when you meet women from other parts of the country, it is usually very easy to connect with them because we all share similar core values. It can be scary to show up to a new place all by yourself, but remember that even though you don’t know these women, you do, because you all chose Alpha Chi. Be confident that you will be welcomed and will find someone to connect with because at a minimum you have Alpha Chi in common.  

How does feeling a sense of belonging impact your membership in Alpha Chi Omega? 

Sense of belonging is huge – it's why I chose to engage with Greek life as an 18-year-old. When I first moved to Dallas and engaged with the alumnae chapter, I was just happy to have a group to ask questions about my new city and to meet up with for dinner. Now that has evolved into so much more. It's having people to travel with or someone to call after a storm when there is damage to your home. I would not have these relationships if it were not for my membership in Alpha Chi Omega.  

How has this experience strengthened your understanding of what sisterhood means?  

During my collegiate experience, we often heard the phrase, “It's not four years, it's for life.” I have now truly experienced this by being welcomed in by my Dallas sisters, working side by side with the Dallas alumnae board and serving Iota Sigma with my advisory board sisters. Sisterhood grows as you grow, and every year I learn something new about my Alpha Chi Omega experience. And a lot of the time I am learning from these women because we all have different experiences to share. I know that this sisterhood will continue to stay with me throughout my life and change as I change.  

Anything else you would like to share?  

Alpha Chi Omega and alumnae chapters across the country spend a lot of time creating opportunities for alumnae to connect, but connection takes action on both ends. You must act in order to experience this belonging. My experience has been so fulfilling because I initiated it. I reached out, and that reach was received by open arms.  

Want to share your thoughts or personal experience with belonging through your Alpha Chi Omega experience? Share your story now!