Chi Omega - University of Kansas

Chi Omega spacewalks was perhaps the most rewarding assignment. Christie's enviable career and the success she has achieved have given her insight into planning for the future. She advises undergraduates and younger alumnae to set goals but be open and flexible. "More than once I found myself leaping into new roles that were never on my five-year plan, and yet it has led to promotional opportunities I would have never been considered for otherwise." She also firmly believes in the importance of having a mentor, someone "you can confide in outside your normal chain of command, to get an outsider's perspective." NASA benefited Christie in yet another way: she met her husband, Aaron Butler, in Mission Control. "He's from New York but quickly became a hardcore Jayhawks fan." They moved to Colorado last year and love hiking, camping, and visiting national parks with their 5-year-old daughter, Emaline. On a visit to KU earlier this year, Christie visited the Chi O fountain with Emaline. "It was so special to share that with her." While she wasn't able to go in the Chapter House then, she hopes to come back soon and see all the improvements featured in the Lambda Log. "I truly treasure my time with Chi Omega and will be eternally grateful for the friends I made there." Christie can be reached at christie.d.bertels@ nasa.gov. We hosted the executive boards from Kansas State, Emporia State and UMKC for a day of workshops on effective leadership, led by National Leadership Consultant Annie Wacker, Eta Gamma. Lambdas at their annual philanthropy event, Hoot Set Spike, benefitting Make-A-Wish Kansas. We hosted Bum Bum 2018 at the Victorian Veranda Country Inn. Pictured: Mira Felzien '18, Jess Cate '17, and Sarah Hanson '18. LAMBDA CHAPTER COLLEGIANS EXCEL ON CAMPUS AND WITHIN FRATERNITY Women Host Bum Bum and Hoot Set Spike I t was a busy spring semester at Lambda with rigorous academic schedules, preparations for our philanthropy event, hosting our national leadership consultant, making plans for Bum Bum fun, and more. Hoping to win Top of the Hill in grades again, we worked hard to achieve a 3.59 GPA. Although we were ranked second, I am incredibly proud of our women for improving semester after semester despite juggling off- campus jobs, student leadership roles and volunteering positions, all while checking in on each other and keeping each other accountable. In March, we had a week-long visit from our national leadership consultant, Annie Wacker, Eta Gamma. Annie evaluated our progress as a chapter and as an executive board, giving us tips on how to be more effective leaders and sisters. We did very well on our scorecard assessment, achieving excellence in almost every category. With April came two of our favorite events of the year: Bum Bum and Hoot Set Spike. Formal was held at the beautiful Victorian Veranda Country Garden Inn, where we celebrated our seniors and switched things up by hosting a daytime event rather than evening. Our philanthropy event, Hoot Set Spike, benefitting Make-A-Wish Kansas, was a success as usual. The rain that morning stopped just in time for teams to take to the sand volleyball courts for a day of fun. This summer, the 62nd biennial Chi Omega Convention was held in sunny Phoenix, Arizona. Recruitment Chairman Elle Clouse '20, RIF Advisor Sarah Rasmussen Hegarty '85, Recruitment Advisor Jacquie Kasner, Rho Alpha '08, and I represented Lambda for a week of workshops and celebrating the sisterhood. As a Chapter of Excellence this year, I had the honor of sitting as G.H. on the Supreme Governing Council Nominating Committee. Interviewing each of the candidates, including all five of our current council, was one of the most powerful experiences I've had. I learned that Chi Omega is truly for a lifetime, not just in collegiate life but onward in the professional world, in volunteering roles, in advisory positions, and simply in the friendships that we could never replace. Love in Chi Omega, Jennifer Bryan '16 G.H. jenniferbryan15@gmail.com

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