Enriching the Membership Experience with the Theta Kappa, Kappa Epsilon, and Kappa Iota Chapters
Alpha Phi Foundation is proud to announce the 2021 Susan Weiskittle Barrick Endowment for Leadership Enrichment recipients: Theta Kappa (Rochester), Kappa Epsilon (Georgia), and Kappa Iota (Wyoming). The grant will fund engaging and unique leadership programming for each chapter to fuel ideas, productivity, and achievement. This year marks the first time the grant will be awarded to multiple collegiate chapters.
Following the abrupt end to the 2019-2020 school year, the Theta Kappa chapter wanted to use the grant to boost chapter morale, reconnect with one another, and further engage the greater University of Rochester community. Recognizing their sisters and fellow students’ struggles with the pressures of perfectionism, the chapter enlisted the help of certified life coach and keynote speaker, Maria Pascucci, to speak to the chapter and campus about women’s empowerment, leadership, and mental health. “The women in Alpha Phi all have inherent leadership skills that manifest in different ways; however, some have yet to discover these skills. Ms. Pascucci’s presentations will aid in increasing the confidence of individuals members and rebuild our sense of community,” says Chapter President, Claire Decker (Theta Kappa—Rochester).
Seeking to enhance their chapter’s programming to better suit the needs of their members, the Kappa Epsilon chapter will use the grant to help sisters activate their social and leadership skills with the support of business etiquette and leadership development consultants, Perfectly Polished. “As the newest sorority on our campus, we are laying the foundation of who we will be and what we will bring to the [University of Georgia] community. This grant will help us grow into strong, empowered women capable of achieving the goals we set for [ourselves],” shares Chapter President, Dayle McCallar (Kappa Epsilon—Georgia).
The women of Kappa Iota chapter expressed a similar desire to strengthen the foundation of their sisterhood and will use the grant to facilitate the Top 5 CliftonStrengths assessment. “[This opportunity] will assist in our chapter’s continued leadership development and give members the tools needed to succeed in the classroom,” adds Chapter President, Andrea Perez (Kappa Iota—Wyoming). “Our goal is for our sisters to find their strengths and weaknesses and facilitate a conversation on how to utilize their findings moving forward.”
Since the establishment of the Susan Weiskittle Barrick Endowment for Leadership Enrichment in 2012, it has supported leadership programming for Alpha Phis at the alumnae and collegiate levels. In recent years, these grants have provided unique leadership development opportunities, specifically, for newer collegiate chapters of Alpha Phi. We are grateful to Susan for making this important programming possible.