Kappa Delta - University of Missouri

NOTES FROM MIZ KΔ PAGE 5 Bridgid Smith Kinney '93 Shares Why She Stays Involved DOING MY PART At this year's Convention, Epsilon Iota House Corporation President Bridgid Smith Kinney '93 received the prestigious Order of the Emerald for her lifelong dedication to our chapter. Congratulations, Bridgid! Hear her story and why she chooses to remain involved with the sisterhood below. Each day that Bridgid walked into the Kappa Delta house during recruitment, she felt at home. She already knew a few Epsilon Iota members before joining herself, and they always made her feel welcome. The women were so much fun, the house was beautiful, and Bridgid knew she had found the sisterhood for her. Epsilon Iota provided Bridgid with many leadership opportunities, which meant a great deal. Her favorite memories come from the teamwork involved in recruitment, Homecoming, and Greek Week. Whether she was playing piano at recruitment events, working on chapter songs, or collaborating on Greek Week skits, she always had an amazing time. "One year for Homecoming, our skit was based on Little Shop of Horrors," Bridgid recalled. "It was so much fun staying up all night pomping and creating floats. I will never forget those times. I still don't know how we were able to go without much sleep for so long, but we did—and we had a lot of fun doing it." Bridgid's closest friends came out of the chapter, women with whom she has both celebrated and mourned since her time in the house. Many years later, Kappa Delta remains a huge part of Bridgid's life, and she is proud to remain connected to Epsilon Iota. "I don't know that when I started volunteering, I thought I'd still be volunteering 25 years later, but I want our chapter to be at Mizzou for another 50 years," she shared. "I want to feel like I'm doing my part for the next 2,500 Epsilon Iota members who will grace our chapter doorsteps on Bid Day and get out to make the world a better place when they graduate. Our members are so confident, creative, positive, and smart, and getting to continue to work with them is a joy." Bridgid has served on the advisory board and is currently the house corporation president, which has been very rewarding. She loves working with the staff and has enjoyed doing upgrades to the house over the years. Steering the chapter through COVID-19 was especially rewarding to Bridgid because, although it was difficult, it showed her that Epsilon Iota members can work through anything. Remaining involved with Kappa Delta has been fulfilling to Bridgid, and she couldn't imagine not doing so. Now, Bridgid is looking forward to the completed renovation of the house and welcoming the members back home. Bridgid knows that this updated home is important for the future of Epsilon Iota, and she is so excited about it. She proudly supports Inspiring Tradition: The Campaign for Epsilon Iota and put forth a matching challenge to inspire sisters to get involved. "It's so exciting to see our alumnae get involved to the level that they are in this campaign!" You can connect with Bridgid at bridgid74@gmail. com to learn more about her involvement with Kappa Delta. She encourages her sisters who are in Columbia to drive by and see the house; she appreciates all the support of the campaign and can't wait to share the completed project with alumnae! From left: Christine Pott White '93, Melissa Cornejo Welker '93, Sarah Donahue '93, Bridgid, Ambika Puniani Reid '93, and Leslie McCullagh Siegel '93. WELCOME, SPRING 2023 NEW MEMBERS! W e celebrated bringing 13 new members into our sisterhood with a teddy bear-themed Bid Day! We even hosted a build-a-teddy bear event to go with our theme and had CocoLinked, a permanent Jewelry company, come to offer exclusive jewelry services to our members. Sisters at our build-a-teddy bear Sisterhood event on March 18. From left: Amber Roldan '22, Maddy Hennessey '22, Ainsley Joynt '22, and Lexie Bousquet '22. Our spring new member class at Initiation on March 12. Camryn Bass Red Oak, Ill. Lea Bishara St. Louis, Mo. Teya Cantwell Brookfield, Ill. Delaney Crick Independence, Mo. Rachel Finan Kirkwood, Mo. Kristen Holzen O'Fallon, Mo. Erin Mauro Rockville Center, N.Y. Ella Mentzer Belleville, Ill. Emily Ommen Bolingbrook, Ill. McKenna Riddle Tucson, Ariz. Grace Ruehl Nashville, Ill. Luci Sapp O'Fallon, Mo. Thanks to Bridgid's leadership and that of the other members of the house corpora on board, our HCB was recognized at Conven on with an Award of Excellence, placing our house corpora on in the top echelon of house corpora ons in the na on!

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