Shelby Rodney
Shelby Rodney was initiated into her mom’s Tri Kappa Plainfield chapter after her senior year of high school. She stayed active there many years before realizing that Plainfield was a long way to drive from her home in Bloomington.
“I was complaining about having to drive to Plainfield for a meeting, so my mom suggested I look at the Bloomington chapter,” Shelby says.
“I talked with Amanda Burnham, and she invited me to Blingo. That’s when I knew I had to be in our chapter. Blingo was unlike anything I had ever experienced! It was so fun!”
Shelby was born in Indianapolis, but she grew up in Danville. Her first two years of college were spent at Hanover, before she transferred to Indiana University-Bloomington. She finished her psychology degree at IUPUI.
Shelby, whose mother (former Council President Debra Rodney), grandmother and sister are all Tri Kappas, moved to Bloomington in 2016 and eventually found an accounting job at the First United Methodist Church. Now she has three jobs: as a materials handler at the Monroe County Public Library; a part-time research assistant at an IU biostatistics lab; and a fulfillment associate at the local Target.
Her significant other, Dillon, whom she met playing “Halo” on Xbox, moved with her to Bloomington.
Shelby has just started her job as the Alpha chapter treasurer and is looking forward to getting to know her fellow officers even better.
She is particularly proud of the way Tri Kappa helps so many charities.
“That money really makes a difference in our community,” she says. “You know you’re doing something really great for the community, and I just love that.”
Her new favorite activity is volunteering for the Flower Committee.
“Buying my own flowers forces me to go outside, they force me into thinking about what I am doing, and I really like to watch them grow,” she says.
All in all, Shelby has enjoyed her time in her new chapter.
“There’s so much that we do and there are so many women to connect with that you can find a place here,” Shelby says.
More About Shelby:
She and her sister are adopted
She loves watching horror movies
She listens to K-pop, especially Ateez and Stray Kids
She plays in a softball league
She lost over 180 pounds after duodenal-switch surgery