Delta Phi Epsilon

Sarah Robinson knew she wanted to jump into volunteering with DPhiE immediately after graduation. As a leader in her chapter, she wanted to maintain her connection to the organization and serve the organization that gave her a meaningful undergraduate experience. While she knew she wanted to get involved, the path to finding a volunteer role she thrived in was unique. 

Following graduation Sarah started a short term volunteer role that did not fit her lifestyle. As she entered into her career after graduation, the time commitment for this volunteer role was too much. “I wish I had taken more time to look at the different opportunities for involvement, not every role is the right fit for everyone.” From her experience, Sarah learned that it’s ok to test out what works for you and learn more about the different ways to get involved. Whether you want to serve on a committee, advise a local chapter or join an alumnae association there are options available that will fit into your lifestyle. She saw this as an opportunity for growth. While one opportunity was not a good fit for her lifestyle that did not mean there was not a space for her in DPhiE.

In the Winter of 2020, she began serving as the lead advisor for the Beta Beta chapter at The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. Unlike her last volunteer position, this role was more flexible and provided her the opportunity to maintain and build on the professional development skills she gained during her undergraduate experience. “All of the skills I gained from being MAL, President and advising translate to my career in Human Resources and enhance what I learned in my classes. The collaboration, project management and communication skills all show up in your professional life no matter your field.”

Serving as a chapter advisor also gave her the opportunity for mentorship. Approaching the volunteer role with a mentorship mindset, she coached the chapter members to lead rather than leading them. This was something she craved during her undergraduate experience. “You’re there to serve the chapter members and help them have the best DPhiE experience possible. On every call I tell them I am there for them as much or as little as they need me. I want them to feel supported by me in a way that works best for them.”

Sarah loves serving as a chapter advisor because it fills her cup. “It’s ok to be a little self serving in the way you approach giving back. If you’re invested you will bring the best version of yourself to the table. It’s also ok to try different roles to find a space that you thrive in.” 

For sisters unsure if advising is for them, Sarah encourages you to just try it! “There’s truly a space for everyone. It’s ok to take a risk and advise for another chapter or try something new. Advising a chapter other than my own has given me a unique perspective – they’re the same but different in a good way. Getting involved has made me feel connected to the values of DPhiE all over again.”

As a first generation college student, Betty Leung was faced with a unique set of challenges. Her parents immigrated from China in pursuit of the American Dream; working low-paying jobs in order to provide their children a better life and a good education. Betty shared, “Since I was a young child, I was taught the importance of education and it surrounded every facet of my early life. While my parents were able to guide my path to college, they were unable to relate or understand my struggles – I had to figure out a lot of it on my own, such as, applying to colleges, understanding financial aid, and choosing my course load and major.” 

Throughout her time in college, she worked an on campus job in order to financially support herself and took part in organizations to provide her a sense of belonging. Reflecting on her college experience she shared, “My experience taught me grit and my parents’ sacrifices shaped me into the person that I am today. Graduating from college is the greatest accomplishment in my life thus far.”

The core source of her sense of belonging during her collegiate years was Delta Phi Epsilon. Betty leaned on her chapter sisters as a support system. She shared her favorite DPhiE memory from her chapter days, “The spring semester of my senior year a few of my pledge sisters and I traveled to Europe for spring break! We visited Paris and Barcelona and had such a great time!” Her support system of sisters created a home away from home for Betty on campus and will forever be her lifelong friends.

After changing her major three times, she earned her degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Business Analytics. She found her passion in using technology to drive meaningful insights. After graduating college, Betty went on to work as a Corporate & Investment Bank Analyst at J.P. Morgan in New York City. 

In addition to the support from her sisters, Betty also received support financially from the Delta Phi Epsilon Educational Foundation. By receiving a scholarship. She was able to reduce her financial burden, have a peace of mind, and continue to pursue her educational dreams. Betty shared, “I am forever grateful to the Educational Foundation for their generous financial support when I needed it the most and for believing in me and my dreams.”

 

By: Emily Mertz

As a current law student at the University of Iowa, Emily Mertz credits DPhiE for providing her valuable professional development opportunities and helping her to find her lifelong passion. As her chapters Member at Large and an International Leadership Consultant on staff at IHQ, Emily learned professional skills that she uses everyday in her career. 

Emily shared, “With a career in law, you always have to be thinking on your feet. During my time as an ILC I learned adaptability and professional communication skills – both of which I use daily. Those are skills you don’t typically learn in college but as an ILC I had to be able to resolve problems on short notice and communicate the solutions properly.” Throughout the year as an ILC she learned about herself, her leadership style, and her communication style.

As the Member at Large for her chapter, she oversaw the standards board process. Learning organizational and mediation skills throughout the year.  When interviewing for law school, she spoke highly of the experience she gained from DPhiE and how it helped her pinpoint her passion for justice. 

Throughout her various involvements, her biggest takeaway from DPhiE was the opportunity to lobby on Capitol Hill. This was an opportunity to advocate in favor of legislation important to DPhiE, share updates about her campus experience with Senators, and network with undergraduate and alumnae fraternity/sorority life members. Reflecting on this opportunity she shared, “It’s a really unique experience and you get to meet sisters from all over the country! At the end of the day you channel your communication skills from talking with people one on one – while advocating can be applicable to many different careers, a political career does not have to be your end goal to participate.” 

After a day long training, the program pairs you up with fraternity/sorority life members from your region. For 15 minutes you speak with political representatives from your region to pitch your platform. Emily shared, “The meetings are quick, sometimes you’re even walking down the hallway meeting with senators.” You also get to connect with DPhiE sisters and volunteers from across the country. “We (DPhiE sisters) all met for group meals and everyone got really close – it was a great experience to work with sisters from completely different backgrounds.”

Emily is currently a law student at the University of Iowa, a volunteer intern for the Lavender Legal Center (a center that provides direct representation, advocacy, and referrals for LGTBQ youth), and a Research Assistant at her university! The skills she learned from Delta Phi Epsilon across her various involvements has provided her the skills to thrive.

If you are interested in learning more about Hill Visits, reach out to info@dphie.org.

By: Amanda Landry, LMHC, NCC, CAP

March for DPhiE sisters is a big deal.  It marks our Founder’s Day, a time we celebrate what the DIMES created for our sisterhood.  March is also Women’s History Month.  What a perfect month for us women, the sisters of Delta  Phi Epsilon, to take time for wellness and self-care.

The Wellness Committee has formed and will be creating content on a regular basis to support you in your wellness journey.  We will focus on the following seven areas of wellness.  While this list is not comprehensive, it’s a great starting place for you to assess your overall wellness and create a plan to take care of yourself, whether that’s through small self-care rituals everyday or by taking bigger steps and following through with recommended medical treatments.  

Here are the seven areas of wellness that you can begin to work on, with ideas on how to begin your wellness journey:

Mental Health: Check in with a local therapist and begin working on your mental health.  Not ready to start working with a therapist?  Connect with supportive sisters on a regular basis and share your feelings with each other.  This is the power of our sisterhood at it’s finest.  

Active Health:  Get moving!  This means different things for different people.  Being active can be as simple as going for a 20 minute walk or setting a goal for running that marathon you’ve wanted to complete.  Looking to connect with sisters?  Plan a dance or yoga class as a sisterhood or alumnae event.  There are a lot of places who are hosting events through Zoom and they can be equally as fun and engaging as in-person.   

Medical Health: Follow-up with your primary care doctor and make sure you’ve had a physical within a year.  While we aren’t going to give you any specific medical advice, we do recommend that you follow medical recommendations for your medical staff.    

Sexual/Reproductive Health:  This is another area where following up once a year with your medical team is going to be important.  Find a doctor you know, like and trust.  Be sure to ask them whatever questions you have and ensure that you get the answers you are looking for.  Reproductive and sexual health can create a lot of fear for people so having someone on your side that can guide you is important.  For college-aged sisters, there are usually a lot of free resources on campus to help you get started.  

Dermatology/Skin Care: Wear sunscreen!  This is probably skin care 101 for most women; however it is the best advice out there.    

Spiritual Health:  Spirituality means different things to different people.  We want you to make your own interpretation on what spiritual health means to you.  When working on wellness, be sure to look for ways to consider your spiritual health; whether that’s attending church, meditating or being out in nature.  

Holistic Health: When working on wellness and health, it’s important to work on a holistic approach and consider a variety of ways to seek your solutions.  Holistic health actually looks at all of the areas outlined here when considering wellness. 

We look forward to providing you with content on each of these areas to ensure our sisterhood is focused on wellness.  While March is a good time to reset and reevaluate your wellness journey, wellness and health is something important to consider throughout your year.    

Name: Amanda Landry

Chapter: Beta Tau

Bio: I’m Amanda and I’m excited you have found me. I love working with young adults to find their passion in life, remove blocks that are keeping them from being their most awesome self and learn to live a life they have always dreamed.I practice therapy in a beautiful and comfortable office in Davie & Wellington Florida at my own private practice called Caring Therapists of Broward & Palm Beach. I’m a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Certified Addictions Professional and National Certified Counselor. I’ve been a therapist for more than 8 years and absolutely love what I do. I’ve worked with teenagers overcome addictions, young adults go off to college and become successful, and young adults overcome depression and anxiety. I have helped couple’s save their marriages and relationships.  Find out more at www.caringtherapistsofbroward.com

The following article was written by Natasha McDonough, a member of the Zeta Epsilon chapter at Carleton University. 

Delta Phi Epsilon chapters all across the US and Canada collectively pride ourselves on the values our womxn hold. Our pillars: Justice, Sisterhood, and Love unite all our members, regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, ability, and cultural/religious belief. These pillars encourage us to be our best selves through internal growth. Focusing on areas such as scholarship, sisterhood, self [improvement], and social [relations] – our 5 “S’s” – members reach goals and empower one another, contributing to the betterment of our communities. 

During Black History Month, acknowledging as many of the courageous Black women who have challenged adversities and demonstrated resilience carries importance, as well as remembering that these experiences continue to shape how our members associate the 5 S’s to our lives. The greatness attained by many Black women throughout history is far beyond our wildest dreams. In this article, we’ll be acknowledging [a few] Black women both past and present, who lead monumental changes/advocacy initiatives in Canada.

Rosemary Brown

Rosemary Brown embodies our values held in the areas of Scholarship and Service. Born in Jamaica, Rosemary immigrated to Canada in 1951 to pursue post-secondary education in the field of Social Work. Rosemary Brown was a determined woman, despite facing racism and sexism at a young age, she preserved working as an advocate, politician, philanthropist, and activist. After obtaining her Bachelor of Arts undergraduate degree as well as her Master’s degree both in the field of Social Work she worked for social welfare organizations such as Children’s Aid Society. At this time, Rosemary dived into her passion for activism, pursuing endeavors with the British Columbia Association for the Advancement of Coloured People and Voice of Women. As touched on earlier, Rosemary was also a strong, accomplished, and fearless politician in Canada, known for being the first Black woman elected to the Canadian Provincial Legislature, which she accomplished in British Columbia. For individuals interested in Canadian politics, her name may be recognizable, as she ran in the 1975 Federal election, leading the New Democratic Party. Rosemary had always had an internal fire driving her to engage in political advocacy, even before her more known accomplishments. As a Black woman analyzing politics with a feminist perspective, she had an insightful grasp on the changes necessary in Canada. Rosemary started notably in the 1960s, beginning to use her voice on a wider scale. With power, she pushed back against the oppressive higher governments in Canada that contributed to racism, sexism, discrimination, and the absence of basic human rights for marginalized communities. The positive impact Rosemary Brown had within Canada did not go unnoticed. She received many awards in later years, including fifteen honorary doctorates awarded from universities in Canada, the Order of British Columbia in 1995, and being selected as an officer of the Order of Canada in 1996.

Angela James

Any avid hockey fan will recognize this name: Angela James. If you’re not a hockey fan or you’re someone who enjoys watching the game instead of memorizing every player and their statistics, we’ll be diving into James’ history as she became the “Wayne Gretzky of Women’s Hockey.” Angela James was one of the two first women, the second Black (but the first Black woman) hockey player, and the first openly gay hockey player to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Her success was not obtained easily, and at a young age faced racism and poverty. Angela was born in Toronto, Ontario, raised by her mother, along with her six siblings. Her passion for hockey started when she was 8-years old when she began playing street hockey in Flemingdon Park, the neighborhood where she grew up. Growing up in a low-income household, in a mostly white and impoverished neighborhood, she faced many barriers. Angela struggled in school, witnessed unspeakable dangerous situations within her neighborhood, and often would fight with other girls – usually due to being a Black woman. Angela coped by concentrating on her passion for the sport. She has expressed publicly that the game of hockey acted as her “escape” and her “savior” from all the negative situations. She started playing in a local boys’ hockey team, but unfortunately, that ended (a decision was made by overlooking an official that didn’t allow girls to play on boys’ hockey teams), forcing her to play in a non-local women’s hockey league.  Her mother went the extra mile to allow her to play the game, sometimes traveling long ways by bus, but Angela strived for greatness and went off to set records playing college hockey. Angela was known as a well-rounded player, and her skill level contributed to her being coined as the first woman superstar in hockey. Angela James won World Championships but was not on the roster for the 1998 Olympic team because her strength at that time was compromised by Graves’ Disease. Nevertheless, Angela James’ influence goes far beyond hockey, setting scoring records, or winning medals. At the core, Angela’s journey is not one of a kind; other Black women can relate to the adversities faced by Angela, and therefore Angela James’ and her life experiences serve as a reminder that race, gender, sexuality, upbringing, etc., determine what one can accomplish, and success can come from the harshest of adversities. Within Delta Phi Epsilon, one of the areas where our members strive to excel is “self”, which can be described as cultivating physical, emotional, and personal improvement. The resilience shown by Angela James represents “self”, constantly working towards improvement to reach her goals, no matter the barrier in her way.

Viola Desmond

She’s the face on the Canadian ten-dollar bill and a leader in the civil rights movement. Viola Desmond fought against racial injustice with strength and conviction. Growing up, Viola’s family were active within the Black community and respected members of many organizations in Nova Scotia. Viola aspired to be an accomplished businesswoman, an example set by her parents and wished to go to beauty school. At the time, beauty schools located in Nova Scotia did not allow for Black individuals to enroll, regardless she continued to pursue her goal by enrolling at a beauty school in Montreal. Later, she would further her education, relocating to practice her skills in New York and Atlantic City. Viola’s persistence would aid her in reaching her goal and find success in creating beauty products that were sold out of Desmond School of Beauty Culture, which she founded to allow Black women to access beauty school training that was seldomly available to Black women in Canada at that time. The success that Viola worked for would be ultimately be halted, at the hands of racial discrimination when she attended the Roseland Theatre to see a movie, waiting for her car repairs to be completed, while on route to attend a business meeting. The theatre refused to sell her a main floor ticket in the movie theatre, as the main floor was reserved as a “whites-only section.” Although racial segregation was not outwardly permitted by Canadian law, the practice of separating based on race existed and justified through other unrelated laws. Regardless, Viola decided that she was not going to comply with a practice enforcing racial discrimination and chose a seat on the main floor. The manager approached Viola, claiming that he had the right to refuse admission, and requested that she leave the main floor, but Viola refused by arguing that she had already been allowed admission when she was sold her ticket. Viola offered to exchange the ticket for a main floor seat, and pay the difference, but instead, she was forcibly removed by authorities, arrested, and subsequently charged with tax evasion. Viola Desmond endured a series of trials within many court jurisdictions, supported by the Black community in Nova Scotia, but all attempts to overturn her conviction produced unfavorable results. The racial injustices that Viola endured were the catalyst, fuelling the civil rights movement in Nova Scotia. Needless to say, Viola’s unwillingness to conform to segregation practices set an example for Black communities to demand equality and use their voice to inspire change. The elemental features present in the values that Delta Phi Epsilon womxn seek to uphold are reminiscent of Viola Desmond’s effort to achieve racial justice. From pursuing our education to meet our aspirations, the collective desire to support our communities through philanthropic endeavors, and creating bonds founded on similar beliefs empowering women; the 5 S’s members actively engage in to improve ourselves, people we know, and our communities, can to some extent reflect the essence of Viola Desmond.

Sources: 

https://humanrights.ca/story/one-womans-resistance
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Viola-Desmond
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/viola-desmond
https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/culture/clmhc-hsmbc/res/information-backgrounder/Viola_Desmond
https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/isnt-wayne-gretzky-womens-hockey-better-known/
https://www.hhof.com/htmlinduct/ind10James.shtml
https://theundefeated.com/whhw/black-history-month-angela-james-first-black-woman-in-the-hockey-hall-of-fame/

What better way to get to know someone than their horoscope and go to snack? Those are the questions we asked our 2021 – 2022 consultants about five minutes after they accepted their job! Read below for a little insight into our newest ILCs…

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Molly Ennis, Senior ILC 

Gamma Iota chapter at Bridgewater State University

Oxford, MA

What is your sign? Cancer. But my moon is in Virgo and rising star is in Pisces. 

Go to snack? A smoothie or smoothie bowl 

Favorite lyric? Clique by Kanye West, Jay-Z, and Big Sean 

What is your morning routine? Wake up, take my pup out and feed her, make myself coffee and avocado toast, brush my teeth, wash my face, journal about my thoughts and then get changed and start my day!

When the world starts getting back to normal, what is the first thing you want to do? I want to hug all my friends and family that I haven’t seen or been able to hug in forever. 

What is one thing you are looking forward to most as a second year ILC? I look forward to continuing to support chapters in their endeavors to be inclusive role models on their campuses for Fraternity and Sorority Life. 

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Donna Rovito, Senior ILC 

Phi Phi chapter at Towson University

Charlotte Hall, MD

What is your sign? Scorpio – leo moon and rising

Go to snack?  Goldfish or trail mix 

What is your morning routine? Get up, stretch, make a shake, and check my email 

When the world starts getting back to normal, what is the first thing you want to do? Go to a concert 

What is one thing you are looking forward to most as a second year ILC? I am looking forward to meeting a new group of sisters both on the ilc team and undergraduate members. 

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Taylor Bradberry, First Year Consultant

Gamma Omega chapter at University of North Georgia

Winder, GA

What is your sign? Aries  

Go to snack?  Goldfish, fruit, chips and dip 

Favorite lyric? “I want adventure in the great wide somewhere” Belle from Beauty and the Beast 

What is your morning routine? Usually wake up around 9 am on weekdays. I check my phone and cuddle my dog, Herschel. Herschel and I then go outside to go on our morning walk. Come back inside and then feed him. Then, it’s time for me to get ready. I go to the bathroom, shower, brush teeth, and fix my hair. Then I put on makeup and get dressed for the day. I go and make my usual breakfast of eggs, spinach, toast, and hashbrowns. I eat my breakfast and drink coffee while checking emails, catching up on the news, and go on social media. Once I’m finished, I pack my snacks for work and clean up. I give Herschel a pet goodbye and then I’m out the door to be at work by 11! 

When the world starts getting back to normal, what is the first thing you want to do? Travel! 

What is one thing you are looking forward to most as an ILC? I am looking forward to meeting so many new people and finding lifelong connections! As well as, serving this sorority that has added so much to my life! 

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Charlotte Haston, First Year Consultant

Zeta Iota chapter at Northern Arizona University

Big Bear City, CA 

What is your sign? Aquarius

Go to snack? M&Ms!

Favorite lyric?“Loving can heal, loving can mend your soul and it’s the only thing that I know.” 

What is your morning routine? Listening to piano music, journaling, going over my planner and drinking an iced green tea latte!

When the world starts getting back to normal, what is the first thing you want to do? The first thing I want to do when life goes back to normal is go to a Justin Bieber concert! 

What is one thing you are looking forward to most as a second year ILC? One thing I look forward to this year is meeting new people and forming lasting connections!

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Audrey McConnell, First Year Consultant

Epsilon Iota chapter at SUNY College at Geneseo

Fabius, NY

What is your sign? I am a Gemini sun, aqua moon, sag rising

Go to snack? Diet Coke and baby peppers (with cream cheese of course) 

Favorite lyric? Ten Years Gone by Led Zeppelin: then as it was, then again it will be. And though the course may change sometimes, rivers always reach the sea 

What is your morning routine? Wake up, check phone, say hi to roommate and her puppy, shower, face routine, makeup if I’m feeling fancy, pick my outfit of the day, and always a large breakfast – usually a bacon egg and cheese on bagel 

When the world starts getting back to normal, what is the first thing you want to do? First thing I want to do is see Remi Wolf in concert!!!!!!!!:)

What is one thing you are looking forward to most as a second year ILC? Something I look forward to this year is meeting all of the ILCs and IHQ staff and literally getting started! This is a dream come true for me and I am counting down the days until we begin 

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Rebecca Westrom, First Year Consultant

Phi Pi chapter at Widener University

Harleysville, PA 

What is your sign? Scorpio

Go to snack? Chocolate every single day

Favorite lyric? Anything by The 1975- their music is so relatable and calming after a long day

What is your morning routine? I always go on my phone and look at social media and check emails and things and then I get out of bed make two eggs for an egg and bagel sandwich (with some “everything but the bagel” seasoning on it of course!) and I’ll eat, brush my teeth, get dressed, and get my day going (most days there’s coffee thrown in there too)!

When the world starts getting back to normal, what is the first thing you want to do? When life gets back to normal I want to travel again; I’ll probably go to Maine first to visit my best friend!

What is one thing you are looking forward to most as a second year ILC? One thing I’m looking forward to this year is meeting a ton of new people and taking on a more official role as a mentor for all of the different leadership teams/chapters DPhiE has! 

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Isabella Portincaso, First Year Consultant

Delta Upsilon chapter at University of Tampa

Crystal Lake, IL

What is your sign? Virgo (although sometimes I don’t feel like it) 

Go to snack? Chocolate drizzled popcorn 

Favorite lyric? “I faced it all and I stood tall and I did it my way” – My Way by Frank Sinatra What is your morning routine?  Wake up, check my phone, clean my face, brush my teeth, get dressed, grab some coffee and an orange juice, and get the day started! 

When the world starts getting back to normal, what is the first thing you want to do? The first thing I want to do is travel to either Spain or Greece! I studied abroad in Barcelona so Spain has a special place in my heart 

What is one thing you are looking forward to most as a second year ILC? I’m looking forward most to making connections with more DPhiE sisters! I’m excited to have access to a wide network of strong women across the country 

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Toledo, OH

What is your sign? Aquarius 

Go to snack? I LOVE any type of popcorn 

Favorite lyric? Kind of cheesy but one of my favorite lyrics (picking one is so hard!) is from We the Kings ‘Queen of Hearts’ “Through and the thunder and the rain, together we fall, together we fly away, hold me closely you are my one and only” 

What is your morning routine? My morning routine consists of me hitting the snooze button a million times then getting up to do school work, take a walk around the neighborhood, or just relaxing! 

When the world starts getting back to normal, what is the first thing you want to do? When life goes back to “normal” I want to visit all my family. I miss everyone so much. I would also love to travel! I think the first place I want to go is to somewhere on the west coast! 

What is one thing you are looking forward to most as a second year ILC? One thing I am looking forward to this year is to work on personal growth. I want to really put in the time and effort to make positive changes in my life!

The eight International Leadership Consultants will begin their training in July in preparation for the 2021 – 2022 academic year. Congratulations to all of the incoming ILCs on their achievement. For more information about the ILC program or its members, please contact Rachel Haley at rhaley@dphie.org or at IHQ by calling 215-732-5901. 

 

Homegoing, Yaa Gyasi^*
Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry, Mildred D. Taylor
The New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander
Sing, Unburied, Sing, Jesmyn Ward
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou
The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, Bryan Stevenson^*
Black Greek 101:The Culture, Customs, and Challenges of Black
Fraternities and Sororities, Walter M. Kimbrough
Becoming, Michelle Obama^*
White Fragility, Robin DiAngelo
The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas
Deacon King Kong, James McBride^*
Promiseland, Barack Obama
On the Come Up, Angie Thomas
The Broken Earth Trilogy, N. K. Jemisin
Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates
The Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person, Frederick Joseph

After a difficult 2020, Heather P. Kahn (Omega Chapter) is heading into 2021 with hope. 

Working at Ochsner Hospital in New Orleans, Heather spent most of this past year having difficult conversations. As COVID patients entered the emergency room, Heather admitted them and laid out any risk factors. She was the one to share with patients and families that if they were put on a ventilator, it was not likely that they would survive. While the end was near for too many, her job was to make her patients comfortable and support them throughout the process. To say this year was difficult would be an understatement. 

In March, her hospital’s staffing was cut thin. They did not have enough personal protective equipment to protect themselves or their patients. Calling in staff from other departments, they worked tirelessly to keep their community safe. Heather’s advice to sisters would be to “Listen to the social distancing guidelines, wear a mask and wash your hands. Take your symptoms seriously, just because you receive a negative test does not mean you do not have COVID. If you come in contact with the virus, take the full 14 days to quarantine.”

2020 was tough but she is feeling optimistic about 2021 with vaccine distribution in full swing. The moment she received her vaccination, she felt hope. Heather shared, “Everyone has to be open to the vaccine – we wish we could provide it to everyone right now. The more people get involved the brighter the future will be. Things will get better.” Heather did not experience any adverse side effects more than the normal soreness at the point of injection. She encourages all sisters of DPhiE to stay hopeful and do your research! With a high effective rate for the vaccine, we can help each other stay safe. She shared, “It’s going to take some time, but it is the best option we have for fighting the virus.” Stay alert and see when you’re eligible to receive the vaccine in your state. By receiving the vaccine, you are taking a stance and advocating for a more hopeful 2021.

The 2020 presidential election was historic. With a record number of first time voters, it will be remembered for a lifetime. One of those first time voters was our very own, Natalie Vang Jensen (Alpha Chapter).

Born in Japan and raised in Bangkok, Natalie made the move to attend New York University in 2011 on a student visa. The summer of her Junior year, she was accepted for her green card. Five years later, she was eligible to apply for United States citizenship. She relied heavily on the support from her DPhiE sisters and friends to learn all about American history. “New York University is known for having lots of international students so it was great to see so much diversity and have the support of my sisters.” In a courthouse in New York City on December 13, 2019 Natalie took her citizenship test.

With the 2020 presidential election just around the corner, Natalie could not wait to use her voice. The importance of having a vote and using your voice is something that should never be taken for granted. Natalie shared, “You’ve got to dig deep, educate yourself on what matters to you from the bottom of the ballot to the top. Not just in the presidential elections but all elections.” Natalie even brought her fan base of family and friends to cheer her on after she cast her vote!

“As someone that was not able to vote, it is so important to realize that voting is a privilege, right and duty.” It is a chance to speak up for your community and others who may not be able to do so.

This year showed us that nothing can stop us from casting our vote and using our voices. Stay up to date on your states local elections to ensure you don’t miss your opportunity to take a stance.

Natalie Vang Jensen is an alumna from the Alpha chapter at New York University. She currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. If you are looking for a new book to read, in her spare time Natalie runs a bookstagram, follow her at @nataliesbookclub on Instagram.