"We each have a place in this univserse."

As the subject line reads, each of us does have a place in this universe, stated by the impressive Ainsley Earhardt at today's luncheon during her keynote address. Today has been a great day full of tradition, conversations, learning, inspiration and bonding. The tradition started at 7:30 this morning when the flag bearers lined up for the opening ceremony. As I stood in the line proudly holding my chapter flag, I couldn't help but wonder how many people have held my flag before me? Granted I do realize with minimal research and a calulator I could find the answer to this quesiton pretty quickly, but the point is that Grand Convention is about tradition. This tradition has stood the test of time for 158 years and to me, that is pretty remarkable. For this reason, I feel extremely honored to have the opportunity to partake in this event.

Tradition aside, conversations and new friendships have taken place among so many of the participants here already. These conversations and friendships have acted as some of the main focal points of learning for me thus far . Another outlet that I have learned greatly from and been inspired by is our two speakers- Doug Hanson and Ainsley Earhardt. Both of these motivational speakers have accomplished so much already in their lives and serve as living examples that hard work and dedication do pay off. Ainsley Earhardt's speech today during lunch inspired me to take each opportunity I have while serving as Beta Upsilon's president to better myself and my chapter as a whole. It was encouraging to see a small town girl from South Carolina rise to a national news anchor on a huge television network at such a young age. Plus, I love seeing fellow ADPi's doing big things in the world like she is.

So for now, just remember her advice: we each get one chance to make it to the top. One chance to jump on the path to our dreams. Therefore, we must pay close attention to those around us and our surroundings to ensure that we don't miss our chance. Each interaction matters and you never know which conversation may chance your life forever. Think about it.

More to come later on.

Emily, President of Beta Upsilon