Meet our 2024 Sarah Ida Shaw winner Delilah Locke, Kenyon. Just like the award’s namesake, Delilah is a visionary—boldly helping found our Epsilon Omega Chapter! Delilah shares the real story behind how Tri Delta came to Kenyon College, what it was like to work with friends to bring a sorority to life from the ground up and what made Tri Delta stand out to them. Prepare to be inspired by Delilah’s maturity, tenacity and grace!
Listen as Delilah shares how she and a few close friends brought Tri Delta to life at Kenyon College. Starting with a big idea that turned into something truly special, she talks about what drew them to Tri Delta, what it was like to build a chapter from scratch and how they handled the highs and lows of navigating the entire process while continuing to excel in their schoolwork.
Delilah shares the special moments like their very first Bid Day as well as how she handled challenges like keeping up momentum through tough conversations and long to-do lists. Named our 2024 Sarah Ida Shaw Award winner, she opens up about what it meant to be honored with the highest collegiate award for truly emulating our Founders. She reflects on how much she’s grown through this experience and the lessons she’s learned through Tri Delta, including finding her voice in front of nearly 1,000 people when she accepted her award at Collegiate Leadership Conference. Whether you’ve ever thought about taking a leap of faith or just want to hear a story full of heart, leadership, and sisterhood, you’ll want to tune in for this episode.
This transcript was created using automated technologies and may contain errors.
Welcome back to our Let's Talk Tri Delta podcast. I am Mindy Tucker, Tri Delta's CEO
and the host for the podcast. We often get to share stories here about our
incredible alumni and how they are impacting the world after college, but today we're
going to turn the spotlight to one of our inspiring collegiate members who is
already living out Tri Delta's values in bold and meaningful ways. I'm so excited
today to introduce you to Delilah Locke from our Epsilon Omega chapter at Kenyon
College. Kenyon's one of our newest chapters and Delilah was one of the incredible
women who helped bring Tri Delta to Kenyon. It was a really unique endeavor that it
was student driven. We're gonna talk about that a little bit today. Delilah along
with Sydney May, Joy Stange and Maddie Buckwalter, they all approached the Student
Engagement Office to start the process of having another NPC group join their campus
through targeted NPC extension. And with the help of that office, they selected
TRI DELTA as an organization and began the process of establishing our chapter on
their campus. What's even more exciting is that Delilah this year received TRI DELTA's
highest collegiate honor, and she is our Sarah Ida Shaw Award winner. That award is
given to a member who exemplifies the values of sisterhood, selfless leadership, and
service. So, and after you get to know her today, you will be easy. It will be
easy for you to see why she was bestowed that honor. Delilah, welcome to the
podcast. We're so glad to have you. Thank you. So happy to be here. So let's jump
in and get to know you a little bit better.
You're at Kenyon. What are you studying what drew you to Kenyon College? - Yeah,
so I'm an English major and a Spanish minor. I've had a fabulous experience at
Kenyon. It was the first school I toured actually, and I was always, I knew I was
looking for a smaller school, a liberal arts college, but I just immediately loved
it stepping onto campus. Just all of the things that I heard about it were just so
fabulous, professor connections and just relationships that like the student body like
has. It's a very tight -knit community. So at Re -Ether School I found myself
comparing to Kenyon and so I ended up doing early decision and I'm so happy I did
because it's been really just a fabulous experience. Well we're so happy you did
too. Otherwise Tri Delta wouldn't be there. So what, talk about the experience of
bringing Tri Delta. What first drew you to want to bring a new sorority to campus?
- Yeah, so Kenyon Greek life is pretty unique. Before Tri Delta,
just to like paint the picture, there are three local sororities and there is one
other national sorority, meaning there was no panhellenic established. And it also
meant that when my year was doing some of that primary recruitment, about 60 % of
women didn't receive a bid, which is like a really big number. And so it
necessitated change. It meant Greek life had this big demand at Kenyon and there
needed to be especially another sorority to meet that demand. And so that really
just prompted the four of us to get together and want to bring another sorority and
really just create that home because I feel like sororities are not just a
friendship but a sisterhood and that home base that's really key to just any
collegiate experience. And so that's what we were looking for. - Okay, so you decide
you want to bring one out of all the organizations you could have chosen. What made
you guys think about Tri Delta and what stood out about Tri Delta to you? - Oh my
gosh, Tri Delta immediately stood out to us. I feel like we loved obviously the
kind of like to all motto. That was just so fabulous. We loved values -based
organization focused on community and philanthropy and we just like had always heard
of Tri Delta and so we just like the name and immediately all of it stood out to
us just all across the board and so we were so excited to like look into that um
but then over the summer in June of 2023 we were able to meet with executive
office talk to all of you about why we were interested in bringing Tri Delta to
Kenyon and then also hear all of your absolutely lovely stories about how much you
all love Tri Delta and that just really cemented the fact I remember getting off the
phone call and all of us talked and we were like it's Tri Delta like it has to be
Tri Delta and we already thought that beforehand but that just really hearing all of
those lovely stories were all really sentimental and so that just meant a lot to
us. Love that. What was it like to start something new. That's a kind of a big
thing to bring to a campus. What was it like to start something new like that? It
was really exciting. I think, you know, it was a very unique process, obviously,
just kind of jumping into it, especially since there wasn't a Panhellenic at Kenyon.
We didn't know exactly how the process worked. So we had to do a lot of trial and
error talking with the administration and then obviously talking with Tri Delta as
well. But I feel like the entire time, I remember thinking to myself and talking
with the other four women, just saying that like the tri -delta women were just so
such big advocates for all of us in terms of bringing tri -delta to Kenyon and that
just like really helps the entire process and it made things like really exciting as
well 'cause that was such an empowering feeling. But I think that it was really
exciting. I think that it was very heartwarming to know that we would have a
lasting impact on Kenyon's campus. And it was heartwarming to know that we would
make Greek life more inclusive and really meet that home where that interest was
growing. I love that, that it wasn't just about Tri Delta, like it was about making
a change on this campus overall. And I must of I'm thinking like what it must have
been like to have Tri Delta come in and say yeah we're willing to step in and take
a chance on this smaller campus in the middle of Ohio. No yeah I will be forever
grateful for Tri Delta taking that chance on us. Well we're forever grateful for you
guys raising your hand and saying we want Tri Delta here. Growth is something we so
much appreciate and like for me I've been through the experience I always think
like, however many other women we can have, have this experience makes it just even
that much better. I know it's so amazing. I want everyone else to have an amazing
experience too. So I love opening the door to more women to be Tri Deltas. So tell
us about the first bit day. It was February of 2024. What was that like?
It was so exciting because it was just a culmination of everything that we've worked
towards and I remember it the theme was starting our chapter sunny side up which I
thought was really cute and it was so exciting because we finally got to wear our
Tri Delta shirts it was something that we had been thinking about and picturing for
so many months and so to be able to finally say I'm a pearl I'm a Tri Delta truly
felt magical it was just the best moment but it was also the coming together of
the founding class It wasn't just the four of us anymore, now it was coming to
reality and it was cementing the fact that this is real, this is a founding class,
and all of the people in this class are going to have their legacies on Tri Delta,
and it was just such a heartwarming feeling to know that, you know, there were so
many women who had smiles on their faces because now they were Tri Delta's. And I
remember that along with taking pictures and doing all of that fun stuff, we made
pancakes pancakes too with that breakfast theme. We also did like a vision board
talking about our vision for the chapter and that was just really fun because
everyone got to share their voice and share their hopes and dreams for the chapter
and it was just a really sweet moment. So I really cherish that day. It was so
lovely. So that must have been so exciting to start something fresh like this. I
think being part of a founding class is such a unique and different experience.
You're starting something brand new, totally fresh. There's no people that have come
before you. There's no established reputation. There's no, like, really do you have
this clean slate? I love the idea of the vision board and being able to kind of
dream about what you might want to have in the chapter. Those are all the great
things. I'm sure at some point in time, there was a challenge. There was a hurdle.
There was something that didn't feel easy How how did you stay motivated motivated
when it got hard? And how did your like founders stay united as you were sort of
dealing with some of those changes or challenges? Yeah, I mean, I definitely think
you know everyone says the great things in life don't come without their own little
mountains to climb And so I think that that was the case for this as well, you
know logistically there were different things going on with the administration and the
timeline and obviously going into it, having a sorority,
like the dream happen and then the sorority be established in under a year is a
shorter timeline than perhaps, you know, was anticipated. And so I think that that
kind of posed some different things where we had to all really come together, be
persistent, be resilient and work with Tri Delta and work with Kenyon. But the entire
time Tri Delta was so supportive of that timeline and really just advocated for us to
have that and so that felt really empowering but then I would also say all of us
um in that core like we just all really supported each other the entire time and I
remember especially through my sophomore year I was roommates with Joy and we would
just spend so much time talking about our dreams for Tri Delta and there would be so
many nights where we would just stay up and we would be talking to each other in
our beds and we would be like, what do you think about this? What do you think
about this? Because we just both loved to try Delta so much and we were both so
excited for everything that was to come and so it was just really, really fun to
have that already, have that sisterhood within the four of us before any of that
was even established because we just had that continuous goal of we're going to make
Greek like more inclusive and you know it it doesn't come without struggles but that
will only make us stronger and in the end it'll all be worth it. So yeah.
What are you most proud of from that time? I would say I think that I mean there
are so many things. I think that you know like I was saying earlier Tri Delta to be
a Tri Delta is to be a part of something bigger than yourself and so I think that
I'm really proud of really making that organization possible on the campus along with
my other fellow founding class because I think that that entire thing will create a
ricochet of inclusivity in Greek life on the campus. I think making that home has
just been something that's always been important and really having Tri to be able to
take that chance on us and open the door for us to be able to be in a sorority
and to be in such a wonderful sorority, to then be able to say that we're going
to be opening the door for so many other women for future generations to come to
be a part of sorority life is just something that feels so important and so
magical. And I would say really just creating that inclusive atmosphere is something
that I'm really proud of. So if you could give one piece of advice to someone
who's thinking about taking a leap, doing something crazy like this, bringing a
national sorority to your campus, just something big. People have big ideas all the
time and I think sometimes we talk ourselves out of them. What would you say to
someone who's thinking about doing something like that or taking a leap like that? I
mean, there are so many things that I could say. that, you know, embracing some of
that unknown, being able to really stick with it. One of my favorite mantras is
"Imagine, Believe, Achieve." I just really like it. But I think the most important
thing is really surrounding yourself with people who uplift you and how you can
uplift others and always like remaining steadfast in that, because I think that that
made all the difference. Having that friendship, having that base, and just treating
everyone with kindness goes such a long way into making things possible. And I would
say having that support system around you just makes all the difference in terms of
stepping out of your own comfort zone as well.
- So your passion for Tri Delta is clear.
We can all feel it as you're talking. But then to get this call and find out that
you have named our Sarah Ida Shaw Award winner. What was that like in that moment?
- It was so exciting. We had just finished behind Happy Faces workshop. So the whole
chapter was all together. And all of a sudden our CDC Quinn and one of our
volunteers, one of our advisors come into the room and Elizabeth DiMartino gets on
the big presentation screen and she says, "Where's Delilah?" And so I raised my
hand. And thankfully, I was in the front row, but it was really easy to see. But
she starts talking and I'm kind of like, oh, what could this be about? And then
she announces that I was in Sarah and Shaw. And that was just so exciting, because
immediately I was enveloped with a bunch of hugs from my fellow chapter. And I
wouldn't have had it any other way, because, you know, they got me to that place.
They, I will be forever grateful for their trust in you to nominate me and that in
and of itself was just such a big like honor and I'm so grateful for that and so
to be able to be surrounded by all of them during that experience was just so
fabulous because the chapter has just grown so much and I'm so proud of the entire
chapter just all the strong leaders that I see in the room and so it was just
really really special.
What do you think, you know, you go through Tri Delta, you come out, like looking
back, I think about all the things that it did to impact me and the things that
gave me over the years. What do you think Tri Delta has already taught you that
you're going to carry forward into the future? Oh gosh, there's so many things. I
really think I've grown so much as a person by just this entire experience. And I
know I'm excited for that lifetime experience to continue. I would definitely say
I've always been an inclusive person but my strong commitment to inclusivity has only
grown being a part of Tri Delta not only being the person as a potential new member
and bringing it on to campus but also then as a person on the other side doing
some of that recruitment I think it's just so important everyone deserves that home
everyone deserves that sisterhood and I think that my commitment to inclusion is just
like really, really important to me. And then I would also say a lot of that
comfort with kind of just like public speaking, I think that that's a big thing. I
had to get out of my comfort zone to do a lot of those preliminary conversations
with administration to do those presentations with student governing bodies. And then
eventually doing my speech. I think that there were just so many things that
Tri Delta has able to like give me that practice. And I think that that's something
that's been so important, because I know that it's something I'll carry with me
socially, professionally for just like my entire life. Yeah, you know,
it's funny, I hear this quite a bit people, people may say about recruitment and
the process and I get that part of the process is really frustrating. And I also
think it gives women the chance to learn how to talk to others and how to speak
and how to present. Whether you're one -on -one or in a group, I think it just
offers a really unique opportunity to learn that skill that you definitely are gonna
use in life going forward. So here you say that the public speaking skills are
something that you've grown in because of your Tri Delta experience. - I mean, and
it's fun is when you're talking about Tri Delta, you're talking about something you
love. So it should be easy to, you know, just talk about everything Tri Delta,
whether it's with a PNM, another fellow Tri Delta, or just whomever, you know, it's
just so much fun to talk about Tri Delta. So it's a nice project. - We have to
speak to 1 ,000 people at one point in time. (laughing) - Yeah, that was really
exciting too. I've never spoken to that many people in one room before.
So that was really, really exciting. But it was something that, you know, everything
that I talked about, just being so grateful for everyone who helped me get to that
moment, like, that was really for them. And I think that talking about all the
volunteers, talking about executive office, talking about my fellow founders,
talking about just everyone who helped get epsilon omega off the ground and created
that really amazing foundation like that has been something that has been so fun and
I think that it was just it was really nice to be able to say thank you and to
just talk about the epsilon omega story and just share all of that so I really
enjoyed it.
So tell us a little bit outside of Tri Delta what your life looks like, what do you
do for fun? Are you involved on campus? - Yeah, so a few of the things that I'm
involved in, I'm a senior editor of her campus, which I like to say is kind of
like College Cosmo. It's a magazine for college -aged women, and it's a national
organization. So I'm just in the Kenyon chapter, but that's been really fun. And
then I'm also in Society of Leaders, which is a little group through the Office of
Student Engagement. And I recently found out that I'm going to be interning as the
leadership programming intern for the Office of Student Engagement. So I'm gonna be
working a lot more with that programming, but also just programming throughout the
entire campus and different student organizations. So I'm really excited about that as
well. But in terms of just hobbies and stuff, I love to run, especially outside
where it's like nice and sunny here in Maryland. That's been really nice and I love
to read, but most importantly hang out with my friends. What's your, what's your
favorite book that you've just read? What are you reading? I just read. Oh my gosh.
Right now I'm reading this little rom -com that's been really fun. But before that,
I've read some really great books in some of my classes actually. I read Jane Eyre,
which I hadn't read before this past semester, which was kind of surprising because
I'm an English major. And so I feel like I probably would have read that book
before, but I hadn't. And so that's probably been my favorite read the past few
months. I love it. And you're home now. What's next for you this summer and then
into next year? you talked about an internship. Is that a summer internship or next
year? That's next year. That's going to be the next academic year, but I'm moving
into school a little bit early, so that's exciting. But this summer I'm going to be
interning at a hospital near me. I'm going to be doing PR and marketing for the
hospital, so I'm really excited about that to combine some of that writing,
communication, and public health. So I'm looking forward to it. and I'm glad you
have a fun internship for the summer. We could not be more thrilled to bestow the
honor on you of Sarah Ida Shaw, but also just to get to know you today and have you
talk about the really unique story of bringing our chapter at Kenyon College to
life. You're among a very unique group of Tri Delta who started a chapter and we're
super grateful for you and the other women that really stood up and said this is
something we want on our campus. Thank you. Well thanks Delilah for joining us
today. Speaking of new chapters, we are officially announcing that we are coming to
the University of Connecticut in the fall of 2025. We will be extending there and
welcoming our newest members there. We are also really excited that we're going back
to the University of Arizona. We should be welcoming a new member class there in
the fall of 2026. If you would like to help either of those chapters get up and
running, you can go to our website, click the volunteer button at the top and let
us know that you're interested. It takes a lot of really great volunteers to provide
support to these new members when we stand a chapter up and we would love to have
your help. Thanks for listening to the podcast today. We hope you'll subscribe and
rate our podcast. We have three stars in our crescent but we love those five star
ratings for the podcast so bring them on. Thanks for joining us today and until
next time Delta Love.