Alpha Chi Omega - University of Missouri

f f f l b o 5 Alpha Chi Omega C oming to Mizzou from Sacramento, Calif., Lindsey Kirn '94 went through recruitment as a way to meet people, but had a preconceived idea of sorority girls and no intention to pledge. Then she met Sarah Bowers '93. Lindsey could tell Sarah took a genuine interest in her, and each day of recruitment was greeted with a friendly "hi!" Each night after recruitment rounds, Lindsey remembers chatting with dorm mates Angie Ricono '94 and Kristin Tilford '94 and doing the "ice cream test" where they would imagine which sorority they could sit on the floor of the TV room eating ice cream with no judgement. "Perhaps it seems a bit silly now, but comfort and acceptance were important to us," she said. "Angie, Kristin and I went on to be best friends in college, and Sarah went on to be my pledge mom." Lindsey's pride in Alpha Chi grew deep during the second semester of her freshman year when she found herself overwhelmed, financially alone and struggling with her parents' divorce. When her grades began to suffer and she struggled to afford her sorority dues, sisters rallied in every way to support her. "Twenty-four years later, the effort my Alpha Chi sisters made to include and support me and make me feel at home still touches my heart deeply. That support system made the difference in my college experience and the constant encouragement propelled me into leadership positions that channeled my energy and built the foundation that led to my life's work." Lindsey's career path has been rather convoluted, but she's always known where she wanted to be and the type of work she saw herself doing. After a role with Fleishman- Hillard, Tucker & Associates and the U.S. Public Health Service, Lindsey was offered a position she couldn't refuse and made the move to Washington, D.C., to work on two of the biggest social impact marketing campaigns of the time—Food Stamp Media Campaign and the National Youth Anti-Drug Campaign. Years later, she found herself working with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), then traveling the world, followed by consulting international development companies who received funding from USAID. She now works on the DAI projects as the director of communication and engagement, and she has traveled from Honduras to Armenia to Zambia working with teams in-country to train their staff and build up their communication capacity. "I knew from a very early age, 6 to be exact, that I wanted to help people. It wasn't until I joined the U.S. Public Health Service that I realized government as a path to service," she said. "Once I caught that break, I did everything I could to learn and master government contracts, including how to adapt quickly and streamline the administrative parts in order to drive more budget to beneficiaries. Of course, there are a million ways to serve, but international development at the federal level has offered me a pathway to affect more lives than I ever could have imagined." Alpha Chi Omega gave Lindsey countless opportunities and her sisters gave her the gift of friendship. But the main thing Alpha Chi did was help Lindsey build her confidence and feel like she had something meaningful to offer. "I had older sisters constantly pushing me to try new things, but also have fun doing them," she said. "Every relationship and opportunity has something you can learn from. There are no failures, just opportunities to learn and do better next time." Lindsey and her significant other, Michael, live in Washington, D.C. She loves anything outdoors, especially hiking and traveling. Lindsey can be reached at colonel2222@gmail.com. Finding a Home in Alpha Nu Alpha Chi Omega Prepares Lindsey Kirn '94 for a Life of Service Alumnae Facebook Alpha Nu of AXO: Missouri Tiger Alumnae Sisters of the Sixties Facebook AXO Sisters of the Sixties Chapter Facebook Alpha Chi Omega at Mizzou Chapter Instagram MizzouAXO Chapter Twitter @MizzouAXO Chapter Website www.mizzouaxo.com Chapter Blog mizzouAXOblog.wordpress.com Chapter Tumblr alphachiomegamizzou.tumblr.com 8 Visit Us Online Megan Teehan '15 and Marie Arends '15 sell paper hands at the annual These Hands Don't Hurt event.

• Cover