I remember when I joined Alpha Sigma Tau, I was so excited to wear my letters. At first, I thought wearing your letters showed a sense of acceptance. I wanted people to know that I was a member of a sorority. I learned later that it was much more than that. It’s not just about the letters, but about the sorority values I presented in public. It’s not about showing my letters, but an outward expression about the values my sorority and I uphold.

As a young woman who comes from a family of fraternity and sorority members, I loved the idea of being a sorority woman. I wanted to show off my commitment, passion and drive. While learning about the history of Alpha Sigma Tau, I also learned about their specific values and how it’s used to help develop their members. At that very moment, I learned the values each organization has are what give the letters you wear meaning.

THE VALUES

Alpha Sigma Tau has five core values that its members abide by. These values include graciousness, respect, intellect, connections and excellence. Each one I took pride in following every day.

All National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) sororities have values they follow. These values help shape the activities of the sorority, its philanthropic partners and act as a guide for members to live full, enriching lives.

Below is how I live out each of Alpha Sigma Tau’s five core values and how all sorority women gain this focus on living by their values.

Graciousness

I express this value by embodying kindness, charm and courtesy in my everyday activity. I would express this value by greeting fellow sisters, friends, professors and now, my work colleagues with a genuine good morning. Spreading graciousness is spreading kindness among the people whom you encounter every day.

Intellect

I would express this value by having the drive to learn more about new and exciting things. This involved professional and personal knowledge. A perfect example of this would be the training sessions I attend at work. These sessions help me build my work skills, so I can improve being a successful employee.

Respect

Respect is understanding our own self-worth, the worth of our sisters and our community. I express this value every day by understanding and abiding by the boundaries that each person I interact with has.

Connections

This value taught me that maintaining healthy and meaningful relationships with others is a privilege. One of the strongest benefits of joining a sorority is the enormous network among the community. Networking is a huge advantage that the sorority community provides for its members. I have enriched my personal connections by networking with fellow sisters, sorority and fraternity members and professionals in my industry.

Excellence

Expressing excellence is having a desire and goal to perform at your highest level. The main goal is to develop into the best versions of yourself and take on new life opportunities. Out of all the values, excellence speaks to me the most, because I strive to take on new challenges every day. By following this value, I have grown into a confident and successful woman.

LIVING YOUR VALUES

As a collegiate member, I strived to represent these values throughout my college career. Now as an alumna, I strive to maintain these values within the professional world. Each day, I go into work with a smile on my face and a drive for success. These values Alpha Sigma Tau has taught me to live by have helped make me a more well-rounded woman. They remind me of how I can always put my best foot forward for both myself and those around me.

Even though I do not wear my letters every day, I still represent Alpha Sigma Tau through my actions and goals and use our values as a guide to complete them.