Kappa Kappa Gamma - Colorado State University

Epsilon Beta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma at Colorado State University Spring 2017 e Kappa H t G IRLS (Girls Inspiring Respect, Leadership, and Service) Academy is program where Kappa active members, alumnae, and local middle school girls come together for a weekend-long retreat followed by two chapter post-mentoring activities to instill the values and relationships developed during the initial weekend retreat. One of the main focuses of the event is to empower middle school girls who are at a very impactful, confusing point in their lives, to become leaders and strive to achieve their goals or dreams. Not only is Epsilon Beta fortunate enough to be a part of the Colorado State University community, we are all so thankful to be a part of the Fort Collins community and share it with the young ladies of Lesher IB World Middle School. On March 4-5, about 20 undergraduates and 10 alumnae shared the weekend with 37 seventh and eighth grade girls. The weekend was kicked off by a large group activity led by Joan Cohen and then participants broke into small group sessions, where there were about eight middle schoolers assigned to two active members per group. In the small group sessions, the girls could connect with each other and their collegiate mentors while following the curriculum within each of their journals. Throughout the day, logistics were run by Barb Goettelman and the meals for the weekend were coordinated by Hayden Harrison. Additionally, there was a leadership panel of guest speakers who shared their life stories, including their successes and triumphs that led them to where they are today. In the evening, after inspirational chalking on the sidewalk outside of the school, the participants ate dinner and went through rotations learning about time management, women in STEM, public speaking, money matters, and goal setting from women who at some point have held a leadership position within the chapter. Then to wrap up a wonderful day, the young girls had free time where they could learn a dance from Kappa CSU cheerleaders, paint nails, play board games, play basketball, or watch a movie. The following day spirits were high as these young ladies prepared skits to perform for their friends and families showing one main thing they learned from the weekend. At the graduation ceremony, skits were performed and certificates were passed out on stage. It was truly a remarkable weekend that everyone was thrilled to be a part of and Epsilon Beta is looking forward to our two post-mentoring events this spring and in August. You can view a short video of the weekend at: https://vimeo. com/207750715. Loyally, Delaney Patterson '14 delaney.patterson.vssa@gmail.com Kappa Women Empower Middle Schoolers through GIRLS Academy GIRLS Academy participants. F or Jennifer Pade '83, the decision of which sorority to join wasn't difficult. She knew right away that Kappa Kappa Gamma was the place she wanted to be, considering her grandmother was a Kappa. Even though she had family ties with the sorority, she also wanted it to be a good fit. Jennifer soon realized she had made the right choice. "I fell in love with the house and with the wonderful Epsilon Beta sisters who instantly made me feel at home there," she says. Jennifer loved every moment at Epsilon Beta. "Living in the Kappa house made it easy to walk to classes and there were always plenty of social activities," she says. "I also loved that there was great hiking and skiing just a short car trip away." The sorority truly created strong, lifelong bonds with a wide variety of women. Jennifer was extremely lucky to have the support of her sisters in her time of need. "The women I lived with at the Kappa house supported me when my sister was going through cancer treatment, which made such a difference during a very difficult time," Jennifer says. "I always had someone in my corner." She also believes that each person can grow and mature in different ways in college. "I learned to be kinder, more compassionate, and to have a better understanding of life outside my own limited experience at that young age." Jennifer says she does her best to stay connected with alumnae such as Helena Pande Buckley '83 through social media. She recently reconnected with her Kappa mom, Christine Cox Hoppe '80. "She was the best friend a girl could have had at the Kappa house," she says. Jennifer started her own tech consulting business in Manhattan, N.Y., called Flux Consulting. "We specialize in workflow consulting for publishing, fashion, design, and advertising industries," she says. "New York City Jennifer Pade '83 Is Grateful for Epsilon Beta Connections Alumna Reminisces on Her Kappa Kappa Gamma Memories (Continued on page 2)

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