Kappa Alpha Theta

Hi everyone,

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My name is Ellen Whitehead and I am honored to be serving as Kappa Alpha Theta’s President this year. I have known I wanted to be a Panhellenic woman since I was a child because Greek Life and its opportunities were always raved about by the women in my family such as my grandmother, mother, aunts and cousins. I knew that I wanted to meet other women who would be my best friends for life, and that’s exactly what I found in Theta. While going through recruitment, my Rho Gamma gave me the most valuable piece of advice: Choose the house that you would feel safe and loved coming to after your absolute worst day. For me, that was one-thousand percent Theta.

 

The friends I found in Theta and I have seen each other through so much. From anxious freshmen participating in recruitment during the pandemic, to sophomores navigating college life in person for the first time, to juniors working hard to succeed in our classes, to almost-seniors looking forward to a year of excitement, we have truly made memories together. I feel confident that my college life would have been nowhere near as gratifying had I not met these women who appreciate me and challenge me every day. The role of “President” was something I’ve had in mind my whole life. My grandmother and mother were both the president of their respective sororities so I had learned about the countless leadership skills and opportunities they found through this position as well as the life-long friendships they were able to develop. While this is my first official position in Theta, I stayed an active member in my chapter by involving myself in committees and offering help where needed. I can confidently say that my “behind the scenes” work paid off and allowed me to gain the trust of my chapter in an informal setting that now carries over in my position as President. 

  

Through Theta, I have met my closest friends who are now my housemates. As a freshman living at home during covid, I moved into the chapter house at the start of winter quarter and the girls living in welcomed me with open arms. I lived in the chapter house again the following year alongside my PC and had just as special of an experience. Living with my best friends, it truly feels like coming home when we all hang out together–cooking dinners, planning fun road trips, and hosting events. We are always excited to go participate in Theta events together like our painting sisterhood, our dynamic duos date party, our beach cleanups, and our annual Loved One’s Weekend. We could never run out of fun events to participate in, but we also really value the moments where we are studying together in our chapter house or having chapter dinner together.

 

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. The money that we raise through our philanthropy events, such as Kickball for CASA, goes 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.

 

I am proud to be a Theta and to stand by such an amazing group of leading women. Above all else, I am proud of the acceptance and inclusion that each member of Theta strives to share. Coming from out of state, I came to UCSB not knowing anyone and Theta made me feel right at home. Since joining my freshman year, Theta has provided me with countless opportunities to not only better myself, but my community as well. I’m so grateful to be surrounded by a group of passionate and inspiring women that have shown me nothing but love and support. My hope is that Theta feels like this for everyone who joins us. I know that I have found my lifelong friendships here, and I hope you find the same.

 

Theta love and mine,

 

Ellen Whitehead

Chapter President

Gamma Rho Chapter, Kappa Alpha Theta