Becoming an alumna

Moving out of the Collegiate Experience: You are a Delta Zeta Alumna

1. Your Overall Situation
Consider the impact of your life changes on roles, relationships, routines, expectations, and personal assumptions about the way things "should" be. What is happening in your life right now? As you move out of the collegiate phase of life, take time to think about your current situation, all the challenges and opportunities being presented to you, personal qualities and skills you have, and the types of transitions you will face (new home, job, group of friends, city, etc.).

2. Your Self
As you approach this transition in your life, consider your personal values. Now may be an appropriate time to revisit some of the values-based activities in your collegiate Delta Zeta experience. What are the personal values guiding your decisions? How can you be true to your core values? You are your own best resource. What are the ways in which you manage yourself? How do you generally react to change? do you embrace it, endure it, or avoid it?

3. Your Support System
Intimates, family, friends, strangers, institutions, and organization make up our various forms of support. These resources are critical as you approach transitions in your life. What type of emotional support are you receiving? Who are the individuals who challenge your thinking and your choices? Who are the individuals in your life that you can turn to in times of crisis? How are your colleagues different from or similar to your friends?

4. Your Strategy for Coping
Coping and transition-managing strategies often include: negotiation, optimistic action, advice seeking, positive comparisons, selective ignoring, and emotional release, among others. Think about lessons you have learned about stress management throughout your college years. What are your most relied-upon methods of handling stressful times?

By strengthening your abilities in each of these four areas, you will be more capable of managing the many transitions and changes in your life. Alumna membership and the continuing support and love of Delta Zeta sisterhood into your alumna years will prove to be an excellent resource throughout your life.

(Resource: Schlossberg, Nancy K. [1989]. Overwhelmed: Coping with Life's Ups & Downs. New York, NY: Dell Publishing.