Gamma Phi Beta - University of Nebraska-Lincoln

GAMMA PHI BETA 3 Kaileigh Delano Ella DeSmet* Sydney Greenspan Bradie Johnson Lauren Kokenge Rachael Krog Piper Poss Kaitlin Sidders Kaitlyn Stone Torrance "Tori" Tischner Ryshelle Trejo *Legacy Welcome, New Members! In Their Own Words Why Gamma Phi? "Every girl I met exemplified the kind of person I want to be." –Torrance Tischner "These girls are so genuine and have made me feel like I belong here!" –Piper Poss "The girls encourage you to be yourself and love you as you are. Gamma Phis are the sweetest girls I've ever met." –Lauren Kokenge "I couldn't be more excited to immerse myself in a chapter of authentic and genuine women!" –Kaitlyn Stone C hloe Higgins '18 appreciated that the women of Gamma Phi Beta saw her for who she truly was, not for her résumé or connections. "I knew this was a place that would push me to be a better person and bring the community I had been seeking." Chloe found a place to belong at Pi Chapter. "The concept of belonging became extremely important from the time I was a lonely freshman seeking community in the house to creating belonging for a disconnected sisterhood through the pandemic to reestablishing belonging after a turbulent 2020." The first time since COVID-19 that all the members were back in the house together is one of Chloe's fondest Gamma Phi memories. She also loved the Pink Dart- nation darts tournament in the tiny three- man, welcoming her sister, Ellie '21, home during recruitment, and serving as chapter president. For the past year and a half, Chloe has been serving as a collegiate chapter supervisor; she has had an amazing experience working with out-of-state chapters, and it has shown her how much of her Gamma Phi experience was made special because of Pi Chapter, specifically. When Chloe saw the Pi Chapter advisor role was open, she felt it was a natural step to volunteer. "I love getting to see Pi Chapter continue to thrive and see the dedication of its membership to grow and make an impact," she shared. Chloe looks forward to mentoring the executive council as they continue to build confident women of character as well as learning from the collegians. When she's not volunteering with Gamma Phi Beta, Chloe works as a workforce development project administrator for Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development. In Gamma Phi, Chloe learned how to build relationships with a diversity of people, facilitate difficult conversations, manage multiple complex projects simultaneously, and consistently follow policy and processes with integrity, all of which prepared Chloe for her career. "Gamma Phi also continued to foster my love of learning, which has driven my pursuit to always expand my skill set," Chloe said. In her job, Chloe coordinates the Lincoln Manufacturing Council, which addresses the workforce needs of manufacturers by providing underemployed and unemployed individuals with the skills, interests, and opportunities to work in the industry. "The best part of my job is working with a diverse set of job seekers and developing programming that helps them overcome barriers to employment." In January, Chloe's team developed a class for new Americans who speak Kurdish and Arabic that taught manufacturing fundamentals in both languages. All class participants are now searching for jobs in manufacturing. The organization has also developed programs with pathways to employment for out-of-school youth, people with justice barriers, immigrants and refugees, and other community members. In her free time, Chloe enjoys reading, listening to podcasts, and trying new breweries and coffee shops. It has been special for her to share the Gamma Phi experience with Ellie and her mom, Stacie Yost Higgins '89. You can connect with Chloe at chloehiggins902@gmail.com. MAKING AN IMPACT Chloe Higgins '18 on Serving GPhi and Addressing Workforce Needs Stacie Yost Higgins '89, Ellie '21, and Chloe '18.

• Cover