{"id":690,"date":"2012-07-04T09:00:52","date_gmt":"2012-07-04T13:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/?p=690"},"modified":"2012-07-05T09:41:50","modified_gmt":"2012-07-05T13:41:50","slug":"lauren-blown-away-by-the-windy-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/2012\/07\/04\/lauren-blown-away-by-the-windy-city\/","title":{"rendered":"Lauren: Blown Away by the Windy City"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Hi everyone!\u00a0 I hope you all are having an amazing summer, and I hope you\u2019re ready for the fall!\u00a0 I wanted to share one of my summer adventures with you because it proves that sometimes, taking a chance can really pay off!<\/p>\n

When Sigma Kappa national headquarters announced that they were sponsoring two collegiate sisters to attend a leadership conference in Chicago, I knew that I needed<\/em> to apply!\u00a0 While I thought my chances were slim, I figured it was worth a shot.\u00a0 I wrote an essay describing why I wanted to attend and waited with baited breathe.\u00a0 Finally I heard back, and found out that I would be representing my sorority at the conference!\u00a0 AHH!!!<\/p>\n

Before I knew it, on June 3rd<\/sup>, I was on a flight to Chicago, excited to meet my roommate (another fellow Sigma Kappa) and all the other participants.\u00a0 I was ready for an amazing adventure!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Led by the brilliant Mike Dilbeck<\/a> (founder & president of the RESPONSE ABILITY Project<\/a> and founder of the Every|Day Hero Campaign<\/a>) and the amazing Phired Up!<\/a> Team, the Be the Person 2012 Conference focused on showing participants that they have the strength to become an everyday hero.\u00a0 We were challenged to inspire change in our community by finding and promoting our own, personal \u201ccause\u201d (mine was to stop the unrealistic portrayal of women\u2019s bodies in the media, and show everyone that they\u2019re beautiful and perfect, exactly the way they are!!<\/em>)<\/p>\n

This was no ordinary conference, however.\u00a0 In fact, the staff didn\u2019t even want us to call it a conference! We didn\u2019t spend hours at a time stuck inside a conference hall or ball room, listening to PowerPoint presentations and lectures.\u00a0 Instead, we got to see the city of Chicago, interact with other people and really learn<\/em> about ourselves.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We didn\u2019t just talk about making a difference, we actually, well\u2026made a difference. \u00a0\u00a0One day we wrote motivational quotes on poster boards and participated in a \u201ckindness flash mob\u201d on the streets of Chicago!\u00a0 The reactions we received from passersby were truly touching, and it meant so much to know that we were actually helping to brighten someone\u2019s day!\u00a0 A police officer driving by in a car even said \u201ckeep up the good work ladies and gentleman!\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0This really showed us that sometimes, even little things can make a huge, meaningful difference. \u00a0\u00a0Another day, we \u201cchalked\u201d the Chicago sidewalks, writing inspiring quotes to help people get through their day!\u00a0 I\u2019ve honestly never had so much fun in my whole, entire life!<\/p>\n

We also learned about bystander behavior, and discussed why people don\u2019t take action when they see something bad happening.\u00a0 We were inspired to find the courage in ourselves to NOT be a bystander anymore, and to have the strength to be a leader and do what\u2019s right, even when we\u2019re standing alone.\u00a0 It was a really powerful message that definitely resonates, especially in today\u2019s society.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>All the activities and lessons really helped the participants bond, and I had the chance to make some great new friends.\u00a0 One highlight of the event was meeting some fellow Terriers!\u00a0 We all were able to bond over our love of BU, and it really helped me feel at home even though I was very far from Boston.\u00a0 It just goes to show that the BU Connection extends far beyond the boundaries of Commonwealth Avenue!<\/p>\n

I also had the chance to meet other collegiate members who were representing their sorority!\u00a0 These girls came from college all across the country, and were really remarkable leaders.\u00a0 I loved hearing their story, and learned so much by talking with them.<\/p>\n

Though it\u2019s almost been a month since I left the Windy City, I know that I\u2019ll never forget the amazing experience, or the incredible people I met on my journey!\u00a0 I\u2019ve been so inspired, and I can\u2019t wait to really go out in the world and creat\"\"<\/a>e change!<\/p>\n

This summer, challenge yourself to make a difference in someone\u2019s life.\u00a0 Every bit counts.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi everyone!\u00a0 I hope you all are having an amazing summer, and I hope you\u2019re ready for the fall!\u00a0 I wanted to share one of my summer adventures with you because it proves that sometimes, taking a chance can really pay off! When Sigma Kappa national headquarters announced that they were sponsoring two collegiate sisters … Continue reading Lauren: Blown Away by the Windy City<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2018,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3892,7275],"tags":[11767,731,11766],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/690"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2018"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=690"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/690\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":701,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/690\/revisions\/701"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=690"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}