Meet Supreme Governing Council Model Initiate Ellie Stern!

Ellie Stern, Supreme Governing Council Model Initiate, was initiated this morning at Convention in a beautiful ceremony led by her Mu/U of California-Berkeley Sisters.

As a child, it is only natural to envision one’s future. When I was a grade school student on the cusp of my tween years, I imagined graduating from the “upper playground” of Happy Valley and joining the ranks of the Abercrombie and Fitch-clad students of Stanley Middle School. 

As a high school student on the brink of graduation, I pictured myself donning Cal’s signature blue and gold, cheering for the Golden Bears and embracing life as a college student. 

Now, as a rising college junior, looking into the future is much more daunting than when I was younger. Although I have come to terms with the fact that, much to my dismay, I will never be a Disney star, an Olympic hopeful, or the future Mrs. Zac Efron (although, I must admit, I am still holding out hope for that one- a girl is allowed to dream!), I know that my future is full of good friends, or, shall I say, Sisters.

While twenty years from now I cannot tell you in what city I will live or what career I will have, the one thing I do know is that, like my mom's Chi Omega Sisters, my Chi O Sisters will always be there to wash away my troubles and bring warmth to my heart. From my grandma, a Mu Alpha, to my mom, to my Mu Sisters, I have literally been surrounded by Chi Omegas my whole life. They have offered me guidance and supplied me with endless laughter and joy. And as I grow older, I plan to continue surrounding myself with this exemplary group of people—my Chi Omega Sisters. 

Although my time as a Chi Omega has been brief, in a way it feels as though I have been a Chi O from the start. I cannot begin to express the happiness I felt on Bid Day, running down Piedmont (Berkeley’s Greek row) with my new Sisters, just as my mom did many years before me, when she pledged Chi O in 1984. That night, we danced together in front of the Chi O house in celebration of newfound Sisterhood. 

In the years to come, I know without a doubt that my Sisters and I will be spending many nights dancing: at each other's weddings, at reunions, and if we are lucky, maybe after bingo night at the retirement home. And if I ever need reassurance that our bond will never weaken, I can look to my mom and her pledge Sisters as an example.