The Emerald Newsletter | Kappa Delta Chi Sorority Spring 2017 | Page 3

KDChi Chapter:

Delta Alpha, Graduate Chapter

New Member Class:

Zeta, Spring 2014

About Gabriela:

She teaches high school Spanish at Riverside Indian School in Anadarko, OK. The student population is 100% Native American and the teaching staff is composed of mostly Native Americans. Gabriela is one of a handful of staff that are not Native American. She enjoys sharing and exchanging culture, heritage and language with her students every day.

She is also very involved in several women's Masonic organizations.

Somebody from one of these

organizations once asked her if she had ever considered joining a sorority and that was what planted the seed! After reaching out to several Latina sororities, she heard back from KDChi's Rachel Glick. Her response was warm and welcoming.

"Rachel answered all my questions (and I had a million) and she was so friendly!" Gabriela says.

She researched KDChi and read through the newsletters, the website, the Facebook pages and she says she knew she had to be part of such a dynamic and wonderful group of women.

She remembers her journey to become a new member...

"My Graduate New Member Educator was awesome!" Gabriela says. "She helped me out tremendously with everything and has kept up with me, even after the process."

Gabriela's husband recently retired from the US Army. Together, they enjoy traveling and exploring new and out-of-the-way places during their down time. This summer, they're traveling to Costa Rica! They also enjoy riding motorcycles, cooking, gardening, and just spending time together.

Tell your friends to apply

to be a KDChi!

Email: Rachel Glick

[email protected]

Letter from: Communications Officer

3

Political Activity as a Sister

Name: Cynthia Esparza-Trigueros

Position: VP of Collegiate Affairs, [email protected]

Chapter, School: Alpha Eta, University of Nevada - Reno

What advice would you give to a new member: Embrace the experience. The process is very purposeful and it goes by really fast. The feeling you'll have after initiation is amazing!

Being in Kappa Delta Chi taught me: The importance of connectivity among women. Being part of our sisterhood is rewarding and has taught me much. The most important for me is having strong women in my life who equally challenge and support me. Having sisters with commonalities and parallel lived experiences has been invaluable. Whether it's been graduate school advise, wedding planning ideas or interviewing tips, I've always relied on sisters.

Kappa Delta Chi. Three words that to some sounds like Greek jargon, but to some of us means a home away from home, a family through which we serve our communities and support one another and where we begin our path to change the world.

30 years ago four young ladies created something unimaginable. They faced a tough challenge starting an organization at Texas Tech University where they faced resistance and yet preservered and committed to their vision. Now, 30 years and more than 5,100 sisters later the KDChi fire has spread coast to coast and as it continuously expands, has sisters all over the world impacting communities and professions on a daily basis.

As we grow as a sisterhood, the way that we support each other as undergraduates and alumnae members; in leadership positions at the chapter and national level now means more than ever. From our National Leadership Conference and Regional Leadership Conferences to the way we do chapter officer training, we are expanding our scope and providing more guidance on topics we've come across and topics we never thought we would have to think about. But that is how we grow as a sorority, as sisterhood and and most importantly as a human being. We are learning and evolving through these growing pains and are always looking to be better and do better.

This issue of The Emerald will highlight some of the inspiring work being done across the nation. You’ll read stories from sisters and learn more about what national divisions are working on. This month we celebrate how far we’ve come and look forward to where we go from here.

It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as National Communications officer over the last two years. Thank you for all you do every day to make this organization a place of love, respect, and service for everyone.

In sisterhood,

Alicia E. Bustillos

National Communications Officer, Kappa Delta Chi Sorority, Inc.

About Alicia:

Alicia was initiated in spring of 2004, with the Tau Class at the Iota Chapter at New Mexico State University (Go Aggies!) where she earned an AS in Digital Graphic Design & BA in Journalism & Mass Communications. In her professional life Alicia is a program communications specialist at Sandia National Laboratories and currently resides in Albuquerque, NM.

National Communications Officer: Alicia E. Bustillos

(C) Tiffany Hopwood Photography