Valuing Empowerment and Leadership

It’s National Leadership Day! Read about how our sister, Lily Ivey, Gamma Kappa – Kent State, empowers herself to be a leader in her chapter, on campus and in her community along with how CORE prepared for this coming year.

Walking into formal recruitment in the fall of 2022 was nerve-racking, but I knew what I was looking for. I was looking for a group of women whose values aligned with mine and who would support, love and empower me. Throughout my life, I have valued empowerment, specifically between women. 

I knew that when women support and lift each other up, they hold more power than they can fathom. I am more than honored to belong to a sisterhood that does empower me. The support I feel within my chapter is like nothing I have ever experienced. 

Specifically, when my sisters pushed me to apply for a leadership position like Gamma Kappa’s House Manager and Kent State’s Panhellenic Executive Board as Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, they believed that I was not only worthy of these positions but that I could positively impact Kent State’s Panhellenic community. 

When I learned about the opportunity to attend CORE training, I was excited because I was appointed to be House Manager mid-semester last fall and did not go through a transition. My goal when entering the position was to use the house as an extension of our sisterhood and to foster belonging by utilizing it. 

Luckily, CORE training was a meaningful experience, and I filled many holes in my knowledge. Something valuable I learned from CORE training was how to shift the culture within our chapter relating to living in the house. I want to foster a culture within Gamma Kappa that is excited about living in the house.