Join us for a candid chat with Allie Waite, Toledo, who’s making waves as a first-year attorney in Cleveland, Ohio. As a former chapter philanthropy chair, collegiate chapter president, Sarah Ida Shaw Award nominee and multi-year Tri Delta’s Foundation scholarship recipient, Allie shares how Tri Delta paved the way to where she is today.
Allie talks about everything from her collegiate Tri Delta experience and how she decided on law school to her gratitude towards donors for the scholarships that helped her reach her goals. She credits Tri Delta with providing invaluable skills from recruitment to building her confidence and creating a safe place to make mistakes and grow before entering the “real world.” Now, since navigating law school, settling into her first job and buying her first home, she is looking forward to embracing the unknown while balancing career and her upcoming wedding!
You won’t want to miss this inspiring episode filled with laughter and wisdom and a reminder that amazing Tri Deltas like Allie are out there making a difference every day.
We hope Allie’s story reminds you of the importance of giving to Tri Delta’s Foundation and the impact your donations make on our sisters—even years into the future. Please consider joining us on Day of Giving 2024 to make a gift of any size to support scholarships (like those that helped Allie), transformational programs and emergency financial assistance. Giving opens on Monday, Nov. 4, and continues through Tuesday, Nov. 12!
This transcript was created using automated technologies and may contain errors.
Hello, Tri Deltas. I am Mindy Tucker, Tri Delta’s interim CEO. And I'm joined today by
my fellow podcast host and our development manager at the foundation Meredith Davies.
So glad to have her with us. And today we get to interview a young alumna, Allie
Waite of Toledo. She is in her first year as a practicing attorney in Cleveland,
Ohio, and engaged to be married and recently purchased her first home. She's got a
lot going on, congratulations.
She is literally killing it, and that's not surprising. As a collegian, she was
philanthropy chair and then chapter president. She was a Sarah Ida Shaw nominee. She
is a law school graduate, she's a Tri Delta scholarship recipient. The list goes on
and on and on. So really excited to have her here today to share a little bit
about her story. I mentioned scholarships, you may wonder where do these magic
Tri Delta scholarships come from? Well, we are going to tell you. Meredith, do you
want to share a little bit with our listeners about Tri Delta 's Foundation before we
get started? I would love to. So, Tri Delta's Foundation is the only organization that
connects and really 250 ,000 members with ways to empower collegiate and alumni women
through transformational programs, scholarships, and emergency financial assistance.
Tri Delta 's Foundation is 100 % supported by the donations of Tri Delta Sisters and
Friends. How awesome is that? We are so, so proud to have rewarded a substantial
226 ,300 dollars to 227 recipients this year in scholarship.
So that number keeps growing every single year and we're so thrilled with the
support that we're able to provide such wonderful and outstanding members. So we have
Allie here today to hear about all the amazing things that she has done and
hopefully you'll see why Allie was a scholarship scholarship recipient herself. - I
love it. Well, let's get into your story, Allie. Welcome to the podcast. We're glad
to have you. - Mindy, Meredith, thank you so much for having me. - Why don't you
start by telling us a little bit about your Toledo journey and your Tri Delta
journey? How did you end up at that school and what made you choose Tri Delta?
- Sure, so I grew up, I think I should start there, south of Detroit near the Ohio
Michigan border. So I have two sisters and older and younger sister making me the
middle child. And my older sister went to college first and she settled down at the
University of Toledo and then she joined a sorority. And so I was a sophomore in
high school and watching her go through that experience and just the support that
she had. I knew that was always something I wanted to add to my collegiate career
and a quick story. There was a year where there was storms around Easter and so we
hosted a bunch of her sorority sisters at our house and seeing them interact was so
special and I just knew that was something I wanted. So then when the time came
for me to choose a college, I also decided to go to the University of Toledo.
It was close to home. My sister already was established there and I just thought
the transition would be great. And of course I wanted to join a sorority. So I
went through recruitment and then I ended up landing on Tri Delta. And I think really
what drew me in was the girls definitely throughout recruitment,
the conversations were super genuine. And then the second thing was the philanthropy.
I just fell in love with St. Jude and the idea of helping children. And then in
high school, I also had a friend who had leukemia. And so I had that personal
connection to St. Jude and what they do. So it just made the most sense.
and I'm so glad I made that decision. - Well, so are we, so are we. So many
people have that thank you connection before they get to college and then they meet
tri -Delta and it just kind of all comes full circle for them. So that's it for
that you have that connection as well. So what made you decide to go to law
school? - Yeah, so I took a AP US government class or
some sort of variation my senior year of college and then I started thinking about
how could I make something like this a career and I started talking to people who
my sister was friends with in college and one of the sort of things that they were
doing and then I decided I think I'm gonna go to law school I think that's what I
want to do as a senior in high school not knowing knowing what a lawyer does.
I went to the University of Toledo and I got a degree in Parallel Studies and I
thought, well, if I don't end up going to law school, I know I wanna do something
in the law and this will allow me to be a part of that environment in a
meaningful way, but I don't have to take the second step if I don't want to. And
then my second year of college, I really got into the classes and It was kind of
like a mini law school. And I thought, this is something that I can see taking to
the next level and that I wanna do. So I started talking to attorneys in the area
and I was getting the sense that these people are leaders in their community, and
not only in their careers, but outside of it. And this is something that I wanna
do. I wanna help people.
And yeah, it just all connected. Joining Trinalta and then talking to attorneys and
thinking like yeah this is something I can do and I can't believe it. It's what I
do now so it worked out. You've done it.
How did you first find out about Tri Delta scholarships and what made you decide to
apply?
So I actually didn't know at first when I joined Tri Delta how many opportunities
there are for financial assistance, that being the scholarships for school and then
also just like life events. Yeah, so I found out originally through the Trident
oddly enough. So I was going through and I saw this giant list of names and I was
thinking, wow, that's crazy that we have all this funding and amazing that we have
all this funding for people. And I just kind of like brushed it off, whatever. And
then I remember at a chapter meeting, our advisor had said, by the way, try to
open the scholarship season is open, you know, shoot your shot, anyone can apply,
you should apply, there's plenty of funds to go around. And I was just kind of
like, yeah, I saw that in the trident, yeah, whatever. And then she specifically
came to me and was like I can write a recommendation for you knowing she knew I
wanted to go on to law school and graduate school is not cheap. And so she said I
think this is something you should look into. You're very involved in the chapter
and you know why not the worst they could say is no. And so she really encouraged
me. She wrote me a fantastic letter of recommendation and then it took off from >>
I love it. You know, when we give these scholarships, you know, every story is
different, but they have an impact on your journey and how you're traversing the
journey. What was the impact for you? What did it mean to you to get the
scholarship? >> It meant a lot. So I said previously,
my sister had gone to college two years before me. We our first generation students.
So for me, having financial stability was my livelihood.
And so throughout college and throughout law school even, I was working.
And so being a full -time student and working part -time is very difficult. And
anyone who has gone to graduate school knows how much of an undertaking it is. And
so for me, it was very hard to balance the full -time school load along with a
part -time job and having financial assistance through Tri Delta several times.
I was fortunate enough to be awarded several scholarships, really saved me.
It allowed me to cut back on shifts at work and focus on my schoolwork. So in
undergrad that looks like me maintaining a 4 .0 because I didn't have to work as
much and I could be as involved in my chapter as possible for the time that I
wasn't spending at work anymore, I put it into the chapter. So I was able to serve
as 23 chair, chapter president, and then I went on to do president of Pan House,
so panel on at council. So that was wonderful. I was able to give back in a
different way because I had the time to give to it. And then later on in graduate
school and law school, same thing, I could cut back hours at work and I could
focus on my academics which in law school for anyone who knows, that's your
livelihood. Whatever you get on that final exam, you get one grade in every class
and it's the final exam. And so you have to give it your all that those four
hours you're taking that exam and it is what it is and then those grades open up
opportunities for jobs so it's really crucial that you do well in your final exams
because that can limit your opportunities later on and so for me the time that I
wasn't spending at work I was spending in the books and then I also had a few
volunteer roles with the collegiate chapter at the university I was going to law
school at so I spent a lot of time in there and then that allowed me to have
more opportunities in the job market um and now that it completely affects my life
today and the type of job that I have so I'm very thankful. And where'd you go to
law school? I stayed at the University of Toledo so I graduated in May of 2020
during COVID. Every law school was going online and oddly enough the University of I
was in person. And so I was like, you know what, I'm established here. I think the
signs are right. And then I also had the opportunity to start volunteering with the
chapter that I just graduated from. So it was really cool. Love that. You did a
good job of like, I think we hear about us, we hear about a scholarship and we
know it helps with the money, but you did a really good job of like, unpacking all
the layers to it, the hours you get to cut back to do other things and what that
means and how that affects your earning potential down the road and where you're
able to go to law school. I don't think we think about that, but there's so many
ripple effects to these scholarships. I think it's great to hear you talk about the
impact that it had in your life. Meredith, what do you have you wanna ask Allie
about? - Yeah, I mean, I, in Foundation Land, we call that a mission moment. I just
had a mission moment sitting here listening to you share what that meant to you.
And I know that there are lots of donors who like to listen to our podcast. So if
you could speak directly to our donors, think you're sitting across the table with a
woman who donated to a scholarship fund that you received. What would you want to
share with that donor or with our donors? Yeah, If anyone takes away anything from
this podcast episode, I think it would be this moment right now. The first thing
that I would say is thank you. It truly was light.
I feel like I'm going to cry.
It truly was life changing for me. Not only like the first time I was awarded for
then continuing to get that call, but I was picked like a generation of law student
who didn't know if law school was an option. And then just seeing like,
strangers supporting things that I wanted to do. I did not plan this.
Your life stories, they make us cry. Yeah. So first off,
thank you. Those like the number one thing. And your impact is felt.
Now I'm so fortunate to be in the position to turn around and do the same thing
that these people did for me. So thank you. And the the ripple effect as Mindy
said it will continue. I'm so fortunate. I don't think if I have received that
financial assistance I would have been able to do as well as I did throughout
undergrad and then again throughout law school, which has put me in a position to
not give back to other people who are like me and don't know if they're able to
really fulfill their dreams and are stepped back because of financial struggle.
So thank you, thank you so much. Ali, I love that so much.
I've been having the most wonderful interactions with scholarship recipients in the
last few weeks and months. And I was speaking to a young alumna a few months ago,
and she said, after the first time I received a scholarship, I knew from that day
forward that I was going to promise Tri Delta that I would come back and do it for
somebody else because it made such an impact. And I, how lucky are we to have
sisters in our corner behind us every step of the way. And I mean, it's moments
like these that make the work just mean so much to me. It means so much to our
donors to be able to do things like this. So thank you for sharing that. And my
heart is is so warm right now from what you're sharing. It just makes me so happy.
But I'd love to know what else tried out to gave you what skills, Things like
that, did you, skills, leadership skills, personal skills, friend skills, did you
learn and find out so that you've taken with you in your life? - Oh my gosh, what
didn't I learn? I feel like that was such a prime age, joining at 19,
very formative years. And the first thing I learned was definitely leadership skills.
So I was, when I was in the chapter, they did slating for officers at that time.
I think now it's a little bit different. But at that time, I, as a sophomore in
college, I was slated as chapter president. And so I was young for that role,
which can be very overwhelming. So I learned and picked up on leadership skills
very, very quickly, and how to talk in front of a group of people.
I think that was like the number one thing that I learned that year.
I think before then I was panel in a delegate, playing the re -chair, and then I
was chapter president. And as panel delegate, you have to speak in front of a large
group of people. And I remember the first time I got up there, I'm like shaking
with my little paper about what the weekend events were, what we were volunteering
at to share with the rest of the chapters. And so that is an invaluable skill that
I learned very quickly. I learned people skills. I think it's funny,
my second year of law school, you do these things called OCI's and they're on
campus interviews and you essentially go from table to table talking to every law
firm or public interest group or whatever you're into. And you have like a quick
interview and it is the most recruitment like experience. And it's funny,
I have coworkers who are also sorority women and we joke all the time like
recruitment prepared us so well for that moment, just having an elevator speech and
rolling with it and being confident. So those skills were invaluable and helped me
get to where I am today and I'm very thankful to have had a space to grow in and
make mistakes in and then you know when it really counted in those moments I had
already rehearsed several times over and it became muscle memory. Yes that's one of
my favorite things about life about tri -delta is that you get to make those
mistakes in a cushioned environment where the mistakes you make aren't as serious as
they would be if you made them three years later. And it's like that, like
recruitment, practicing for a job interview. I mean, these are awesome things that we
get to learn and practice a few times with, in a safe space with friends. And
yeah. Okay, so I'm getting the sense that you are a very driven individual.
What do you attribute that to?
I believe it came from my dad. I think watching him, he's very much so a provider
type of mentality and he always has been. I think he instilled in me a very hard
work ethic, know what you want and go for it and watching him as I was growing
up, work as hard as he does and provides what he can, I knew like I wanted to be
able to do that. And so I felt like I had to be very calculated and know kind of
what my next move was at every stage of my life to get me to this point.
And so I think I attribute that attribute to him and his work ethic.
And I'm very thankful for that. - That's awesome. Okay, switching gears a little bit.
Something fun. Give me your top three collegiate tri -delta memories.
- Top three. The first one off the top of my head, when I was fully at the beach
here,
I organized all the volunteers, and we did de -hop. I'm sure they still do it now.
So it was really fun. I remember calling up my dad and telling him, "Oh, I'm
putting on this event for St. Jude,
where there's a pancake, a pancake breakfast." And he was like, "Can I come and can
I help?" And I was like, "Absolutely." And so there is a photo of me and my dad
standing in front of the assembly line or the buffet line. And my dad served at
Delta House of Pancakes when I was flying the wheelchair and it was the best
experience ever.
- He was the Delta dad. They were the best. - We loved the Delta dad. He was, he
served pancakes and he also was the grease master. So we served bacon with the
pancakes. So he was dumping hot grease. But yeah, I cherish that memory.
It was a really great memory. We have a really cute photo together. - Awesome. - Two
more. - One's good too, if it's hard to think of. - Yeah, I think that is like--
- My aspiratory, of course. - Yeah, yes, I'm confused. That one's by far my favorite.
I think the second one would be getting my littles. That was like such a great
moment. I always wanted to be a mentor and to be able to mentor another woman,
let alone two, has been really awesome and we've maintained contact since and just
like being a cheer leader with them throughout their lives has been like a really
awesome experience then and now. And the third,
oh - I went to CLC and that was a great time.
I also got to go to, this might count as like three and one, but I went to
Memphis two times. I got to visit St. Jude. So those were both very impactful
experiences and I'm very thankful I got to go once, let alone twice, one as
philanthropy chair and then the second as chapter president. So Those are really,
really great shares. - So memorable, I think. You just speak that way. And you
mentioned CLC for our listeners that may not know that's Collegiate Leadership
Conference, which is also partially funded by Treadalters Foundation. So leadership
skills that you gained there come from money that's provided by donors to the
foundation. So I love how you brought that full circle for us, those memories. And
I And we're gonna have to find the picture of her and her dad at DHOP and put it
in the attach it to the podcast here. - Yes, absolutely. - I love that. And it
sounds like, well, also I wanna say one more thing that you said that I think is
really important. You talked about getting your little sister and you said I always
wanted to be a mentor and I'm so glad you said that because that role is really
intended to be that way, to act as a sponsor and a mentor for that woman who is
younger than you and who will look up to you and you can guide along the way. So
I'm so glad to hear, I love that you said the word mentor as part of that. So it
sounds like Tri Delta might still be part of your life. What does Tri Delta look like
today in your young alumni hood? - Yeah, absolutely. I think now at first I was
volunteering with the chapter right out of the gate and I have recently relocated.
So I'm looking to dive back into that, maybe with a university that's closer to me
now, as opposed to Toledo being a little bit further. But also it looks like a
perpetual bond of friendship. I still have contact with a lot of my sisters. I'm in
a book club with one of them. The other ones, it looks like long weekends hanging
out in our hometowns and really just great friends that I love to be around who
are my sisters. And I'm so thankful for the friendships that I made during those
four years and beyond. And it's really crazy when you talk to people how connected
we all are. Everybody knows somebody and you're always, you know, one degree or
three degrees away from somebody. And so now Tri Delta looks like the friendship part.
And I'm really excited to add more volunteerism as I get established in my new
city.
But yeah, right now we're reading books and we're hanging out. That's so funny.
I am also in a Tri Delta ish. I'm Tri Delta adjacent book club - I love that.
- I met one friend who's a tri -delta at Arkansas or was a tri -delta. She has a
tri -delta. She joined at Arkansas. She has three friends and now we've got a book
club of like 15 people and all the tri -delta's just brought somebody else in from
somewhere else in their life. - Yeah. - I think tri -delta book clubs are the best
kinds of book clubs. - I agree. Love that. - So what advice would you give to
someone who's thinking about applying for a scholarship?
The first thing I would say is get involved in your chapter. You only have four
years, this experience goes by really fast. So don't be passive.
You get involved, you will only get as much out as you put into the experience.
So that would be the first thing I would say. Then the second thing I would say,
shoot your shot. You never know. there is so much funding available and you don't
know until you try. And so don't self -eliminate, be confident, be brave, be bold,
and go for it. I love that. And what's next for you? Where are you headed next?
What's going on? You've just moved to Cincinnati. Did I see that right? To
Cleveland.
Oh, I was sitting with a C. You were close enough.
For me, I'm at this crazy point in my life where, as I said earlier, I've always
had to be very calculated and know what's coming next. And for the first time ever,
I don't know what's next. And I'm really excited about that, actually. It's allowed
me to enjoy where I'm at now even more than ever before because I'm not thinking
about the next thing. So right now, I'm just getting settled in my job,
getting settled in my new house,
learning how to do marriage,
and just hoping for the best. - I love it. Well, we wish you all the best.
We have loved having you come and talk to us today. And I know our listeners are
gonna really feel special to be brought into your story and and how the donors to
try Delta are really having an impact out there. So thanks for being with us. And
I know everyone out there, you guys know how expensive college is. And we've just
had such a great picture of how these scholarships can make a difference for our
members. So grateful to Ali and grateful to all of our donors who make those
possible. And Meredith, you - Yeah, if you're an alumna and you are 33 years of age
or younger, you are welcome to join the Friendship Society, which is a special
giving society just for alumni under 33. It's a great way to make a donation that's
really meaningful to you in your current stage of life. It's a giving society that's
meant to grow with you as you progress in your career through your 20s and early
30s, which I think is a really special thing that the Friendship Society offers.
It also comes with some inside looks at Tri Delta and friendships and cute pins and
every once in a while a happy hour. So please come join us and to anyone obviously
who's considering making a donation to your sister's alley is the perfect embodiment
of why we do what we do. So We hope you consider making a gift in honor of Ali,
in honor of any other sisters, you know, who received a scholarship or any other
funding through Tried Out Just Foundation, because the work that we are doing is
possible because of donors like you. I want to be 33 again. I can't go have all
the fun with the young alums. They didn't have this when I was younger. That's what
everyone says to me and I feel really badly about it. I really do well.
Thanks to Ali. Thanks to Meredith. I hope all of you enjoyed this great, great
story today about the Impact of Treadalters Foundation. We hope you will like and
rate our podcast. We love those five star ratings even though there's three stars in
our crescent. You can do five star ratings for our podcast. Thank you all for
joining us today and until next time, Delta Love.