Meet the Exec: Madame President
This is the first installment in our Meet the Exec series and who better to kick it off than our very own president, Clare Crotty? Keep reading below to get to know more about Clare, and about what being president means to her!
Getting to Know You
Name and PC: Clare Crotty PC ‘15
Major: Advertising
Hometown: Orland Park, Illinois
My Favorite Thing about Texas is: “Winter,” queso, Cabo Bob’s and the unbelievable pride this state has for its grocery store chain!
A Celebrity I Want to Hang Out with is: Ellen 100%
Something on my Bucket List is: I want to run a marathon in all 50 states and bike to Alaska.
Something I’m Addicted to is: Ok this might sound weird but… goals!! There is nothing I love more than accomplishing goals. Hit me up if you want to hear my New Year’s resolutions. They’re some of my best work.
Fun Fact: I’m a big fan of exclamation points if y’all couldn’t already tell!! Both in writing and in person. I get excited about literally everything. I’m my own and my friends’ biggest hype man.
If I Could Describe Alpha Xi Women in One Word: Driven. These women never cease to amaze me with the things they’re involved in and passionate about. We’ve got a good group of world changers here.
What I’m Most Excited for Alpha Xi in 2018: Oh boy! Picking just one is impossible. I am so excited to see what this exec board is going to do. They are so talented and so passionate about this chapter. All of our goals and brainstorming has me pumped for this year!
Letter from the President
Alpha Xi was my first house on the first day of recruitment freshman year. So I guess you could say I’ve been hooked since day one! I remember being so nervous, as most PNMs are, not knowing what to expect. Would the girls like me? Would I have things to talk about? What if I did something embarrassing? However, once I talked to Kenna DeChant (who is now my big) about cheese fries and dogs, all those doubts went away! It was my first sigh of relief in the crazy recruitment process, and I think part of me already knew I had found my home at Alpha Xi. Now that last sentence may sound cliché, but I’m a firm believer that things happen for a reason. That I was meant to talk to Kenna DeChant about cheese fries and dogs, of all things, on the first day. That I was meant to run into the arms of Alpha Xi, both figuratively and literally, on Bid Day. And, as crazy as it sounds, that I was meant to be chapter president for 2018.
If you had told me four years ago that I, Clare Crotty, would become president of a sorority in Texas, I probably would have laughed. Now looking back, I’m constantly thankful for the doors Alpha Xi has opened for me. I came into college a scared, little Midwesterner looking for a place to call home. In Alpha Xi, not only did I find a home, I also found a group of women who challenge me and push me to be better each and every day. Last summer was a testament to this as my sorority sister/best friend, Allyson Horstman, and I went to the Alpha Xi Delta National Convention in Chicago. Through three days of laughs, tears and far too many pictures, I got to know so much about this sorority, the chapter and myself. Our national fraternity recognized two alumnae from our chapter as Women of Distinction for doing unbelievable work in law and special education. I got to watch the induction of our current national president, Micaela Isler, who is yet another UT Alpha Xi alum. I met some amazing alumnae who traveled hundreds and thousands of miles to be together with their sisters. I witnessed an initiation ritual and finally grasped the breadth of our traditions. And on the last night of convention, Allyson and I promised we’d be back in the future. She would be recognized as a Woman of Distinction and I would be inducted as national president (kidding!! maybe...). All jokes aside, National Convention showed me how much I truly love and care about Alpha Xi Delta and all of the women in our sisterhood.
After that weekend, I knew I wanted to be president and help lead this chapter to realize its potential, as it had already helped me reach mine. I know I wouldn’t have stepped up into a leadership position, let alone run for president, if I hadn’t met amazing women like McKenna, Cristina, Korelle and so many others who stood up to fill this role in the years before me. I also wouldn’t have learned to constantly look for opportunities that grow and challenge myself. Because of my sisters, I became an intern for ProjectLEAD- an amazing leadership program at UT. I also became a member of Texas 4000 and will be biking to Anchorage, Alaska in 2019 with my team (which just so happens to include one of our houseboys Martin Pham!!). Alpha Xi Delta has been such a great force of personal growth for me, and my biggest hope as president is to leave a similar legacy of encouraging every girl that walks through our double doors to pursue the same.
Xoxi,
