Kappa Alpha Theta

My name is Kelley Flanagan and I am honored to be serving as the President of the Gamma Rho chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta this year. To say that I am proud to be a part of this chapter and the Panhellenic community as a whole would be an understatement. Each member of my chapter, my executive board, and the Panhellenic executive board welcomed me when I was a nervous freshman and has been instrumental in shaping me into the confident, rising senior I am today. 

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That said, I was very wary of recruitment during my freshman year as I knew essentially nothing about Greek life. If you are feeling the same, know that you are not alone! Though, knowing what I know now, I strongly encourage everyone reading to give recruitment a shot. It could be the first step towards finding a tight-knit community to call home at a large university like UCSB. 

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Through Theta, I have befriended some of the most authentic, compassionate, values-driven, hilarious women that I now call my best friends and sisters (cheesy but it’s true!). I continue to be blown away by our members' dedication to the chapter, their academics, and their own personal growth. During conversations at chapter dinner, you will hear just about every topic and/or passion being discussed: whether it’s about environmental activism, mental health, members’ new film projects, or what Corepower yoga class we want to go to next! To weave our passions into our weekly sisterhoods, workshops, and meetings, we host activities like tote bag painting, beach clean-ups, and yoga classes; We have also invited renowned professionals to speak to the chapter about topics from mental health to Diversity Equity and Inclusion to all things LinkedIn! It’s events like these that help Thetas to make a more positive impact on the world at large, and it’s in the smaller moments during our walks to class, beach days, and chapter dinners where we are able to develop strong individual connections and memories with women that will undoubtedly be in our lives forever. 

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What I love about Theta is not just how our members enact change in each other’s lives, but also how we work to make a positive change in the community around us. Our philanthropy is CASA or the National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association. CASA is a national organization that supports court-appointed special advocates for abused and neglected children in the foster care system. CASA volunteers are trained to become active members in the child’s life, getting to know them and the people around them in order to advocate for the child’s needs in court. These advocates become like family to the children they work with. Every year, we host a big inter-council Kickball tournament, in addition to our new CASA Cornhole tournament, in which all proceeds go directly to the Santa Barbara CASA. Because we send all of the money to a local chapter of CASA, we have gained a close relationship with them and have been able to impact the organization’s development in our community each year with our donations. 

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Our chapter also takes tremendous pride in the fact that our chapter house became the first Green Certified Greek Chapter house in the state of California in 2022. Our members continue to strive to make a positive impact on the Earth and on the communities most affected by today’s climate. I cannot wait to open this home up for you all to experience this fall and I wish you all nothing but the best as recruitment approaches! 

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TLAM <3 

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Kelley Flanagan 

Chapter President 

Gamma Rho Chapter, Kappa Alpha Theta 

theta.ceo.ucsb@gmail.com