Greetings Sorors! With 2020 squarely in our rearview, we welcomed 2021 with open arms only to realize that the pandemic is apparently not on our calendar system. And while we are still facing social gathering limitations, brighter days are ahead! This year has been full of milestones for the Far Western Region and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated more broadly. Since January, we have celebrated our Founders at our first-ever, region-wide Founders’ Day Celebration, hosted our firstever virtual Regional Conference, held our first-ever virtual Tri-state AKA Day at the Capitol and celebrated the graduating seniors from our undergraduate ranks at our first-ever virtual Graduation Celebration. Additionally, we have safely initiated 75 new undergraduate sorors! I thoroughly enjoyed attending all nine virtual regional conferences, where I met so many incredibly smart, talented, and poised sorors who are doing amazing things in their regions and local communities. After experiencing all of the conferences, I remain exceedingly proud of our 92nd Far Western Regional conference, "Forever Fascinating," and I am grateful to the amazing team that set the standard for innovation, creativity, commitment to service and excellence. It is an exciting time to be an Alpha Kappa Alpha woman, with the election of Madam Vice President, Soror Kamala Harris, record-breaking membership numbers and the impending Boule ll/Leadership Conference. It is incredible to have the opportunity to plan regional activities that will increase the value of our membership experience and expand our footprint in the community and media. With all hands on deck, we have excelled with fascinating members representing our tenets and events in print, digital, and broadcast media nationally and locally (NY Times, LA Times, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Fresno, San Diego, Seattle, Hawaii, and more.) All eyes are on us, and the view is impressive! As I round out my first year as Regional Director, I reflect on my initial goal to focus on retention and reclamation. In those efforts, we have continued to nurture our current membership by: Creating opportunities for sorors to bond via virtual social gatherings Organizing professional and personal development workshops and events through the Ida L. Jackson Leadership Institute Ensuring that members have access to information and are provided updates through our various communication channels Developing a space for members to feel valued, supported through membership appreciation efforts. Sorors, thank you for all that you do every day in service to our illustrious sisterhood. I look forward to seeing you all soon as we slowly and safely move back to normal operations. For now, continue to operate in a virtual mode, stay safe and continue to focus on our mission to be of service to all mankind. Yours in service,
Soror Shelby