Why Join?

Let’s be honest. When you think of a sorority, you think of women in college. But we vowed to be Kappas beyond our college days and into the lives of families and careers.

Whether it’s to network, make new friends or find someone to support you through parenthood, we’re here and we want to help. Reconnect with Kappa by joining your local alumnae association today.

• • •

When people ask me how I met Beth (Ole Miss), I smile and tell them she picked me up in a bar in Tucson.

It's true. I was in my first year of graduate school at the University of Arizona when I watched a woman walk past me in the cutest leather jacket I'd ever seen — and as it worked out, my date knew her date. They stopped to talk, she and I stood face to face. I complimented her jacket, we began to talk, and soon into that effortless conversation, we discovered we were both Kappas, albeit different chapters. I gave her my number and I was thrilled when she called me the next day. We went out for coffee and a lifelong friendship was born.

Fast forward 20 years to New Orleans and a strange twist of fate that landed us both here in 2011, where our Kappa alumnae bond continues to strengthen.

Over the summer, the NOLA Kappa board has been hard at work gearing up with plans. We set only TWO GOALS for the 2014-2015 programming year:

• Increase our membership from last year’s 37 members to 250 dues-paying members by February 1, 2015, which will in turn keep our association active; and
• Have fun!

We can only achieve our goals with your help and support.

In addition to our popular events, this year's NOLA Kappa board has added monthly Kappa Kocktails, Kappa Koffee and Kappa Bookclub to give our sisters a chance to meet informally, make new friends and have fun.

Whether you are one of our loyal stalwart members, a new college graduate or someone who has not attended a Kappa event in years, we welcome you! Kappa isn't just for college; it's for a lifetime.

— Loyally, Christine Gacharná (Oregon) NOLA Kappa President 2014-2015

• • •

I was living in a 75-square-foot room, sharing a bunk bed, a desk, and a closet with a practical stranger.

I had evacuated New Orleans for Hurricane Katrina, and upon finding out I would spend the semester away from my adopted city, I connected with the Beta Pi Chapter of Kappa at the University of Washington in Seattle. I was in sophomore-standing at a school I had no intention of attending, in a strange city and unprepared for the dank weather, yet I had an instant group of 95 friends! Upon realizing this, I had a greater respect for Kappa, the fraternity, traditions, and instant connection I could feel with this group of women.

For the next three-and-a-half months, I lived with these women, at with them, drank with them, attended date parties set up by them, shared clothes with them, and they became my family. I look back on my Katrina semester not as having attended the UW, but as having expanded my Kappa sisterhood. I realized that our bonds in Kappa are not confined to the women in our pledge class, in our chapters, but are extended through all generations, regions and demographics, based on the guidelines set out by those six women in 1870.

I encourage each of you Kappa alumnae to plan to attend an alumnae association function, meet someone who doesn't look your age or have your accent, and find that connection that is unique to all Kappas.

— Anna Labadie, (Beta Omicron) NOLA Kappa Past-President (2010)

• • •

After spending four memorable years in New Orleans while attending Tulane, I had fallen in love with the city. From the unique culture to the people to the delicious cuisine, I knew there was no place else I wanted to spend the first few years of my post-grad life. Best of all, I knew that a bunch of my Kappa sisters had decided to stay, too.

I went to my first Kappa Alumnae Association Meeting anticipating to see sisters with whom I used to attend chapter meetings. Instead, I walked into a room with all new faces. Where were all my Beta Omicron sisters who decided to stay in New Orleans? It was a bit shocking to realize how few young alumnae/recent graduates were actively involved with the NOLA Kappas. In hindsight, I suppose I shouldn’t have been too surprised, as it took me quite some time to get to a meeting myself. It made me think, “How do we keep young alums/recent graduates actively involved with the KKG alumnae association?”

As a 2013 graduate, I know that right after graduation, young women still have a passionate desire to keep the bonds with their sisters and Kappa alive and active — that is, for about 3 months. Then, as we settle into a new job, a new place to live, a new car, and a new man, the time and energy to devote to Kappa is consequently replaced.

I asked myself, how can I motivate others to continue to be involved with NOLA Kappa on top of all their other new commitments. As with most things, convenience and communication are most important. Kappa Kocktails make it simple. Every fourth Thursday of the month, a group of Kappas meet to connect over a well-deserved cocktail. Through our electronic newsletter and social media, on-the-go alumnae can easily stay-up-to-date, learn about who’s accomplishing great things, and who could use a shoulder to lean on. Like me, once recent graduates feel personally involved with the association within those first few months, we can likely hold on to them for life; after all, Kappa is for a lifetime.

I hope to meet you at the next NOLA Kappa event!

L&L, — Melanie Jensen (Tulane) Beta Omicron Liaison Officer, 2014-2015