Being like D9 at a py is challenging but again it’s also exhilarating it brings the community that much closer and it allows you to think on a spectrum where what can I do basically every day to to to change Penn day or make it that much greater or make
Someone else experience that much greater um it’s something that our Founders Envision when making the organization is wanting to build the bond of Sisterhood amongst not only members but promoting Sisterhood to everyone we’re a community conscious or organiz a and in being so we need to have moments of Outreach to others and
Be able to extend our hand across the board you can’t be leader in the community and and not have good academics you can’t be a leader in the community and not be involved as well um you can’t be a leader in the community and you know be at home
247 um so it’s it’s been good in that sense and and really just impact on the penate community as well um because again we were the first black um Greek letter interc Colgate fraternity so it’s like we really have the opportunity to have a voice and have an impact when you
Think of D9 you think of automatically HBCU you see how they carry themselves you see how much of a heavy presence it is there you see how much respect it is is there and the pwi not is not to me as valued or sought after as as as hpu but
That doesn’t mean that we don’t deserve to be here or have a place here or mean something it just means that we have to work a little bit harder to get our name out there and just show that we do good in our communities and other communities
As well um it’s all about representation honestly like to see like we’re here there are black people who can do like amazing things and are doing amazing things on this campus and in this community so we host like a week long series of programs to get the community
Out just get engaged with them and help like them understand uh the culture and black p in pen State’s black community as well as just get to like know us better and have more exposure to us we want to be visible and camp having the opportunities to lead ourselves lead different groups of
People here on campus lead people here lead people who aren’t even here on campus um and just practice that skill has been something that I got through Alpha me and my sisters we hold each other accountable um we have each other to lean on and I mean we’re all like
Student leaders and we kind of have these positions in other organizations around campus and it gets hard but it’s like it gives me somebody that’s like-minded um that can understand and empathize with what I’m going through and to give me more Solutions I think for me to even be an effective leader in
Both AKA and my other organizations I kind of wanted to expand myself a little bit and get familiar with the other academic areas and even just like University areas such as like the other Greek organizations or thawn or homecoming you know brother wsh II thiri who was involved literally the person
Responsible for making a we are chit here at Penn State um when I think about like homecoming Kings in Penn State’s entire history there’ve only been four black incoming Kings three of them were from this chapter and we have to set the example for other organizations and
Other U Multicultural ORS to follow in our footsteps so we always have to be a role model we always have to Showcase Excellence of like the highest achievement we also have to be wanting to go to further Heights you know we can’t be too complacent um so it’s
Always that we have to strive forward and always wanting to become better and build a better Society we really do believe that we can’t just continue to stay in our bubble of like you know just the D9 or even just our mediate orgs like nesby and you know things like that we
Have to really show you know we support all of pen State Community we as a chapter work closely here with Penn State and the needs of the African-American Community but also the Penn State Community but we reach our hand into the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania but also within our region
So we’re working to better the lives of the people around us and the reach that we can do but our National Organization is reaching their hands out internationally and we try to contribute that work as best we can as a smaller chapter here at pen State each year we
Choose a different philanthropy um to send the funds to that we raiseed for red Gala and we even did like a community service project the day after red Gala and helped um pack some like boxes food boxes produce um to go out to um different people there’s always
Someone to look up to there’s always an example that has been set um and when you have that example that’s set for you um you have no option except to reach that example or to be better than it um and I think all the brothers want better
For other brothers and um that’s just had a relatively net positive impact on my life they were really giving a really great example of what the Delta women were that were in my life and I was like okay like I definitely want to join um and become a Delta woman myself so it
Really wasn’t necessarily about Greek life it was more so like Delta like I knew that that’s what I wanted to join being a member of Zeta means that all of my Sor are also my sisters and your sister is meant to uplift and support you and so in doing that having
Those connections Into The Sisterhood my sisters are there for me in times of need it means for me to be a part of something that’s bigger than myself to continue the purpose set out by my Founders um to continue to just do good and be of service to all mankind hey we
Here to to serve the community to be Servants of the community um that’s something that we we do live by and try to strive for for each and every day and I think all the brother or I know confidently that all the brothers on the yard care about that unification and
Care about like bringing the communities together here on campus and because everybody cares it’s a lot easier to actually do the things that we need to do to make that happen it it’s really good to be able to find community and even if you’re not interested in Greek
Life it it doesn’t matter because we as organizations are striving to help and better the people around us and so we want to be able to give that service and give that Sisterhood and give scholarship and help with scholarship in various ways I feel like it’s important
To highlight just how important and how long certain chapters have been here at Penn State and the work that we’ve all been doing Al by [Applause] alha
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