Kappa Delta came into my life during a time when I really needed it. I was attending college in a new state, struggling to adapt to college life, and spending a lot of my free time sleeping in my dorm. During the summer before my sophomore year, I vowed to make a change.

I had never seriously considered joining a sorority and didn’t see how it could be of any real benefit to me. However, joining Kappa Delta completely changed my view on sororities and the positive impact they can have on members. I was able to form bonds with women from many sororities, serve on council with my best friend, visit KD headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee, to participate in a PR campaign, and discover a path to turn my passion into a career.

Kappa Delta has positively affected my life on many levels, but I did not expect the sorority to influence my career. I studied psychology in college, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my degree after I graduated. The prospect of earning a Ph.D. or Psy.D. did not necessarily appeal to me. I really wanted to start working and put my degree into action, but I didn’t know what that career looked like. It wasn’t until I started learning about Kappa Delta’s philanthropy, Prevent Child Abuse America, and my chapter partnered with our local beneficiary, SafeSpot Children’s Advocacy Center of Fairfax County, that it became a little clearer.

My chapter’s first Shamrock Event raised over $8,000 for Prevent Child Abuse America and Safespot. It was such a rewarding experience for everyone involved with the planning and execution of the event. I had the opportunity to go to Safespot to present the check to the center and learn more about the great work they do to provide treatment and essential services to survivors of child abuse, helping them to move toward the long journey of healing from trauma. Safespot’s primary focus is on child sexual abuse, and since its inception, they have investigated 533 cases of child abuse in Fairfax County. The work they do is invaluable to our community. After this experience, I felt inspired to enter this career field to help children deal with traumatic experiences.

I would have never thought that joining a sorority would lead me to my chosen career field, but here I am! The small, tangible impacts that sorority membership can have on your life, both during college and after graduation, are irreplaceable. In addition to providing lasting friendships and opportunities to impact the community and campus, Kappa Delta can help guide you far beyond your time as a collegian.

Looking back, I know that I’ll be forever grateful to Kappa Delta for setting me on a career path that I hadn’t considered before, one that will allow me to make a positive impact on people’s lives, the way Kappa Delta did for me.

Adanna Newby

opens in a new windowTheta Rho-George Mason

Watch Adanna’s Discover Kappa Delta video opens in a new windowhere.