Leaving my Mark
I became a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, INC. back in 2011 (Old Head status) while attending the University of Louisville. It was a dream come true, for sure: sisterhood, networking, social activities, and too much to name. The members of the Divine Nine that were on campus during that time had camaraderie and pride. Pride for ourselves and more importantly, our organizations.
Every org had a designated area on campus where we were able to visually represent our organization. Some groups have flower bushes, plants, trees planted, or painted monuments. We call these plots. Now this was over ten years ago and of course prior to my time but now things have changed...and for the better. With the expansion and reconstruction of the University of Louisville, the idea of a more unified and structural dedication to the Divine Nine emerged.
Right in heart of campus rests ten beautiful plots that tell the history of each organization and the NPHC. My role in this story begins when my Undergraduate Sorors of the Delta Theta chapter commissioned me to paint the Zeta plot on campus. Of course I was EXCITED and I painted it in the cold weather of January 2021. I was freezing while painting it but it was so worth it in the end to see my Sorors posing gleefully next to my creation.
A month later, the advisor for Sigma Gamma Rho commissioned me to paint their plot. I was really ecstatic then and I was hoping to start reaching out to other organizations about their plots. Before I could even do that, I received a blessing in an email: "we've seen your beautiful work with the NPHC plots and we would like to commission you to paint the remaining ones". Ya'll. This was BIG! I've done many pieces in my Artist career but never commissioned for a job this big and from a source as big as the University of Louisville! What a blessing!
I quickly began to work on example sketches that would be sent out to each organization and once they all were approved, I began. I sat outside (this time in the spring) with my tote bag, jar of water, and paint...maybe my speaker some days and just zoned out. It was wonderful! I talked to
so many people and soon after, staff members began to keep up with my progress until the last paint stroke. With my family embarking on such a big move to Miami, this was a beautiful way to leave my mark on my Alma Mater.
I will forever be grateful for this opportunity and cherish the experience that came along with it. Thank you, UofL for believing in me to execute this job and do it with the utmost professionalism and craftsmanship. The best thing about this is seeing different members of each org be excited to take pictures next to their plots. That pride will exude forever and will always be a part of the Divine Nine experience.