MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Q&A
Member: Katie (Esch) Vande Berg, Delta Nu-A alumna Undergraduate degree: Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Kettering University '17
Current job title: Quality Control Chemist II at Par Pharmaceutical in Rochester, MI
Learn more about Delta Nu-A alumna, Katie (Esch) Vande Berg, and the work she’s been doing as a chemist at Par Pharmaceutical during the COVID-19 pandemic.
How has Alpha Sigma Alpha helped shape you into the person you are today?:
Tell us about your experience with Alpha Sigma Alpha: “I joined Alpha Sigma Alpha during my freshman year. From the start, I knew this was a group of women that I wanted to be a part of. During my first full year as a member, I was our vice president of alumnae & heritage and our public relations chairman. While the VP of alumnae & heritage, I was able to help in planning our chapter's 40th anniversary celebration with our Delta Nu-B counterparts. My final year as a collegiate member, I had the honor of serving as our chapter president and attending the Imagine convention in Orlando, FL. Convention was one of the highlights of my Alpha Sigma Alpha membership; being able to meet sisters from across the nation and learn different activities and abilities to bring back to my chapter. Aside from the positions I was grateful to have held, I met several of my closest friends, and have formed bonds that have lasted across time and state lines.”
24 Phoenix of Alpha Sigma Alpha
“Convention was one of the highlights of my Alpha Sigma Alpha membership; being able to meet sisters from across the nation and learn different activities and abilities to bring back to my chapter. Aside from the positions I was grateful to have held, I met several of my closest friends, and have formed bonds that have lasted across time and state lines.”
“Alpha Sigma Alpha gave me the tools I needed to excel as a leader in my job. Being a part of a small chapter - at our largest, we had 28 members - we had plenty of opportunities to take on leadership roles early on in our membership. Taking on the role of president allowed me to find my own leadership style and learn valuable skills that I have carried with me into my professional career.”
Briefly explain the work that you do: “I work as a Quality Control Chemist at Par Pharmaceutical. Our plant focuses on sterile injectables, and I specifically focus on the materials that go into our final products. I schedule the material testing out to a small team consisting of myself and two others, and the three of us perform all of the tests associated with each material before releasing it for use in our final products. We perform a wide breadth of tests that make sure each material we use has the right amount of the chemicals needed, and that each material is low in harmful and non-harmful impurities. Every material that goes into our products goes through our team, ensuring that it is of the highest quality before being added into its final state.”
