The Sarah Ida Shaw Award, named to recognize our beloved Founder, is Tri Delta’s most prestigious collegiate award. Each year, nominees and winners are recognized for their outstanding devotion to Tri Delta’s ideals and their commitment to unselfish leadership.
On Saturday, March 6—during our virtual Collegiate Leadership Conference—Tri Delta announced our 2021 Sarah Ida Shaw Award Winner, Caroline Doyle, Oregon. Caroline, and our two runners up, McKenna LeVitt, Nevada, and Madison Brandt, Wyoming, each embody Tri Delta’s values as they lead in their chapters, on their campuses and in their communities. Read more about these incredible women.
Congratulations to 2021 Sarah Ida Shaw Award Winner Caroline Doyle, Oregon
“Caroline has never settled for the mediocre, both for herself and her fellow members,” shared her alumna advisor in her recommendation letter. “As an officer, she has continued to excel in her academics (in a very difficult major nonetheless) and has not only shown members that it is possible to succeed but helped them make it a reality. As VPCD and chapter president, she was diligent about her weekly ‘watch list,’ making sure she was not letting any members slip through the cracks. She went above and beyond her expected duties and would reach out, call, meet up and tutor members who were struggling personally or academically.”
As president of Theta Delta Chapter this past year, Caroline met the challenges of leading a chapter during the pandemic, while also ensuring her sisters felt cared for and secure in their membership. At a time when many questioned the value of sorority life, Caroline helped them see the benefit of having this community and all the ways they could still engage and stay connected from a distance.
In her acceptance speech, Caroline reflected that “Tri Delta gives us the ability to understand the incredible dichotomy that is life. This is the idea that the good and the bad times are equally important and equally beautiful, and that by remaining steadfast within our values of truth, self-sacrifice, and friendship, we can flourish through it all.”
Congratulations to First Runner-Up McKenna LeVitt, Nevada
In the face of adversity, with Theta Theta Chapter disaffiliated from the University of Nevada and hard-pressed for morale, McKenna stepped up to serve as collegiate chapter president when she was only a sophomore. She was later re-slated in the position and faced leading the same chapter through a pandemic. She met the charge by staying grounded in her passion to be a role model for younger members and to lead with integrity.
McKenna reflected, “I am proud to be leaving this chapter knowing that I’ve been the best version of myself, and I’ve worked as hard as I could to be the best leader I could be. While I will never know what exactly my peers and sisters saw in me when they voted to make me their chapter president, I do know that they’re the reason I became a brave, bold and kind leader and a brave, bold and kind woman.”
Congratulations to Second Runner-Up Madison Brandt, Wyoming
An unselfish leader is how the women in Theta Eta Chapter describe Madison. “Madi is clearly behind the many successes of our chapter but will never take credit away from the whole. For her, it is not about who does the work or who has the idea, but rather how it will affect the chapter and what the women in Tri Delta need.” Others share how Madison sets an example in her membership through her positive attitude and exceptional character inspired by Tri Delta’s values.
“Tri Delta’s values of truth, self-sacrifice and friendship hold a special place in my heart,” said Madison. “They are who I was in the past, who I am in the present and who I will always strive to be in the future. In a world so full of uncertainty and a lack of kindness, I am proud that I am the sole person who determines the fact that I can live out these values.”
Congratulations to the following women who received High Honors and to all our 2021 Sarah Ida Shaw nominees!
High Honors
Gentry Meinecke, Mississippi State
Delaney Walden, Wofford
Alexa Jean Young, Florida
Julia Finfrock, Vanderbilt