From the Eyes of a Senior ELC
By Alexis King, Tau Mu (Texas A&M U), Senior Educational Leadership Consultant
Attempting to explain my first post-grad job to friends and family was immensely difficult. As a first generation college student and first generation Greek woman, I truly didn’t understand the scope and reach of serving Alpha Omicron Pi as an ELC. My whole life, I have just so happened to fall into really great decisions without understanding how pivotal they would be in my life. I have lived my life with a healthy amount of delusion and fearlessness to think that everything would work out if I was having fun.
On the road, the first question our members always ask me is “Why did you want to be an ELC?” At this point, I have crafted my perfect elevator pitch to share with each chapter. When I was in college, we always had ELCs visit Tau Mu, my chapter of initiation. Whenever we had an ELC I did my best to convince her to spend afternoons with me going on campus tours, going to dinners, and just hanging out. While getting to know these women, I was inspired by their confidence, their knowledge, and their ability to live out of suitcases.
When I was applying to jobs my senior year of college, it was a no-brainer that I wanted to be one of the select women that traveled on behalf of AOII. I wanted to be able to make other young women feel as capable as the ELCs always made me feel and give our chapters the valuable feedback that previous ELCs gave me! It also seemed really cool to go to a new city every couple days.
What I would soon realize was that the ELC program was truly so much more than catching flights and exploring new cities. After my first few visits in the fall of 2021, I became so engrossed with all my chapters and was determined to see their success. Through collaboration with our chapters, I have been immensely inspired by their leadership and creativity. I will never forget the moments of excitement with my chapters where they get their new members on bid day, when a freshman tells me she’s interested in holding a position, or when there is a breakthrough on what the date party theme should be.
My 1-1 meetings with members are moments that I value above anything else! It’s an honor to listen to our members’ goals while assisting them with their AOII responsibilities. I love talking to a VPMR about her recruitment plans over coffee and then seeing her chapter make quota just 6 months later. Or when I collaborate on a way to be innovative on social media with a VPCR and then see her perfectly executed instagram campaign later in the semester.
I am so happy that I was delusional enough to think that I could be an ELC my senior year and fearless enough to take on the role again for a second time and a Senior ELC. Being an Educational Leadership Consultant has changed my life so much. Now, when I have the opportunity to explain the ELC program to friends, family, and future employers, the answer will be easy.