From the moment I walked through the door of the Kappa Delta suite at the University of Rhode Island, I knew I wanted to be a Kappa Delta woman. KD was my first choice, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up since I was a junior going through recruitment. On Bid Day, I was delighted to find these wonderful women saw just as much in me as I saw in them.

I began getting involved right away. I took on leadership positions, attended all the sorority events I could and got to know the women of the chapter on a much deeper level.

Near the end of my first semester in KD, our chapter got a house of its own. I was so excited to get my name on the move-in list.

I now wake up every day surrounded by 39 of my closest friends and serve my chapter as house manager. This role has taught me how to work with people inside and outside the chapter, all with different backgrounds and personalities. It has given me valuable skills and a new perspective on what it takes to run a house of this size.

Aside from the leadership skills I gained, I also learned valuable lessons in relationship-building from living in the chapter house. There are some things you only learn by living with a group of people. You naturally create friendships with KD sisters, but by living together, you learn so much more about each other’s habits, and you see each other on your best and worst days.

There’s one experience that stands out when I think back on my time in the Kappa Delta house. After a particularly bad fight with a friend, I came home feeling defeated, emotional and anxious. My sisters were there to comfort me and patiently listened to my story. They helped me gain perspective and feel confident in my choices and myself.

To me, this memory is so special. While it may have been a simple act of kindness, they were there for me — physically and emotionally — in a time of pain and made me feel at peace. Living in the house has allowed me to do the same for other sisters and has reminded me to be kind and considerate, especially when someone is going through a difficult time.

I know living in the Kappa Delta house will be one of the best and most unique experiences of my life. I will never again be able to live with so many wonderful, confident and inspiring women.

Josephine Maida
Theta Theta-Rhode Island