the accent | best of spring ‘17
The
Accent
a publication of The Western District of Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma
In this issue...
Growing Up in Gamma
Thank You to Eta Omega!
Your Publisher reflects on entering the Brotherhood as an outsider, petting cats, and embracing leadership. (p.2)
Claire Heatherly reflects on the “best semester of her college career” thanks especially to her chapter Sisters’ accomplishments. (p.11)
A Year with Omega
States Days 2017
Omega reports on the past year under a new Chapter Sponsor alongside the Beta Omicron Brothers, and with a new candidate class in tow! (p.9)
Brothers and Sisters report in on how their respective States’ Days went! (p.13)
...and more!
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table of contents
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Growing Up in Gamma Holly Chan
5
Shout Outs!
9
A Year with Omega Gina Chung, Epsilon Kappa Candidate Class
11 Thank You to Eta Omega! Claire Heatherly 13 Arizona State Days Lauren Streeter 15 Calivada States Days Michelle Leccese 17 Utaho States Days Shailey Woodward On the Front and Back Covers: Austin Quach and Emma Tate of the Gamma Chapter relax on the way to WDC in Boise, ID, unknowing of the unexpectedly long journey ahead of them. Photos by Michelle Asencio. Below: Boise State University Director of Bands, Marcellus Brown, concludes a performance of the Western District Ensemble Clinic at this year’s Western District Convention.
19 Wagon States Days Kaila Howell 21 Ideal Active Achievement Award Lyssa Fukuhara
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Growing Up in Gamma Holly Chan
Gamma welcomes the Alpha Iota Class as Active Brothers following their Third Degree.
Publisher, KKPsi
“Dear Brothers and Sisters,”
W
hen I joined Kappa Kappa Psi back in 2013, it was already a rough freshman year. How I managed to find and follow Gamma was sheer luck that a shy freshman somehow felt motivated to go ahead and check out a recruitment event after the Vice President made an announcement at Campus Band. Once I was there, I was completely bewildered. I didn’t know anybody—I didn’t even know who in Yogurtland was affiliated with Gamma and embarrassed myself in the process.
The rest, as they say, is history. But my history is a little different from many of yours. I felt awkward
but in awe the first time I sat in a classroom with the Actives joining hands and singing the hymn around me. Throughout my process, I still didn’t know most of the people in the chapter. I hardly talked to anyone, but would latch onto those I did at every event. Somehow, they still extended a bid to me. My Big Brother, J.Matt, was the obvious choice in retrospect simply because he was always present to chat up and share pizza with the quiet kid. Otherwise, the person who I primarily talked to among my PM class ended up leaving shortly before Second Degree, much to my anguish. But by the evening of
that event, I had experienced the Caldwell Family and the pre-degree dinner experience that was Rotato, and I began to break out of my shell. I share an experience with a few others about not being an “Active Active” at all my first full year. I signed up for a committee and attended maybe only twice. I hardly volunteered. I felt distant from other chapter members for much longer than that. But the creation of the Publications Committee within my chapter gave me purpose. I could apply my talents and, eventually, it was my first experience in a leadership position. While the experience hasn’t been
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perfect, I feel proud of helping raise the Committee to where it is now, and helping it grow into something that is recognized even on a district level. When I say that Publications is my baby, I kind of mean it. But, dear Brothers and Sisters, I will be honest with you—for most of my Active years, I have felt
profoundly lonely and isolated. Paired with a general social anxiety, I could not and still cannot relate to most of my Brothers over a shared marching band experience, or interest in our respective college sports teams. It was a struggle not to be bitter and reclusive about this fact, and it used to be that after chapter meetings I
Left: My Big Brother J. Matt and I after my Second Degree; Right: Two years and at least an inch of hair growth later at another Second Degree.
would leave as soon as I could. I felt that I had nothing and no one to stay for. But things change. You meet people who value your perspective and teach your theirs. My Caldwell Family with their love of seeking out opportunities to pet cats and eat together was truly that for me. It also helped that many of us shared in the experience of being second generation Asian Americans. My Littles Sarah and Michelle taught me more than I could have possibly taught them. My Brother Si Si—who was the one person I recruited from Campus Band my second year— was always there to share in the angst of being one of the few non-marching band Brothers. Despite going alumni shortly after I became Active, my Big Brother, J. Matt, was there from the beginning when I was struggling. I would also like to thank Brendan, Austin, Juliette, and Michelle
4 Left: My initiation class, Alpha Zeta, after our Third Degree. Right: My Littles, Grand-Little, and GreatGrand Little within my family line.
among others for being Brothers who would consistently greet me with hugs for no reason at all. Sometimes it’s just those little things that make everything alright. Aside from those, I have a lot of thank yous spanning the Western District that I will no doubt make my way through the rest of the year. To anyone who is currently struggling to feel a part of the Brotherhood or Sisterhood, I suggest the following: Go to district events. I think going to DLC down at the University of Oregon my first year and SD4 this past summer completely changed my perspective of what it meant to be a part of KKPsi. I met new Brothers and Sisters outside of Gamma and made friends who remain close despite the distance. Getting to know people around the District as the Western District Publisher also created bonds that helped me reflect on my Brotherhood, and enhanced my college experience. It gave me friendships that I value as much as those within my chapter. (Plus, nothing bonds you
better than nineteen hours in a car on the backroads of Oregon, right?) If you want change, be the leader of it. Gamma taught me to take initiative in all aspects of my life—to raise my hand to volunteer, to be the first to email, to reach out to a Brother, and more. Finally, get to know your Brothers outside of the chapter context. This is easier for people in the marching bands who know each other beforehand and had scheduled social events, but for non-marching band members be sure to participate in weekly oneon-one meetings (such as what we called Brotherhood Pairs), or just take initiative to invite Brothers along to adventures and events. Pet cats together, get food and drinks, and find someone who you can trust to talk about struggles if you need to. It’s one thing to be a Sibling on paper—it’s another thing to have a friend. And friends are what we need to truly feel a part of this family. Dear Gamma and the Western District—thank you for adopting me into your family and allowing
me to be your Publisher for the past couple years on both the chapter and district level. You have taught me so much, and I hope you all get the experience of nurturing Publications in your respective chapters to continue telling each other the stories that can help you all grow as musicians and Siblings. Please support the next Western District Publisher by reading and writing for The Accent. It has been a true pleasure to get to know so many of you through this role. MLITB, Respectfully submitted, Holly Chan Western District Publisher Gamma Chapter, Kappa Kappa Psi University of Washington
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SHOUT OUTS! Daniel Sullivan
Lynds
I
L
Theta, Kappa Kappa Psi
t sure was a journey of epic proportions from Seattle to Boise, but having you join us quite possibly saved our lives! One day we’ll be able to look back at those 20 hours in a tiny car and laugh about it, but for now I’m just thankful to have met you at all. Hope you got to enjoy WDC, and I wish you the best in your journeys as a Brother!
Theta Delta,
yndsee h Service A chapter this amazing Pre embodies w Tau Beta Sig beyond to se
- Holly Chan, Gamma, KKPsi
Aimee Chow Mu Pi, Kappa Kappa Psi
A
imee, thanks for being one of the greatest bigs out there! You’re so encouraging and the Sherman fam will miss you when you leave! I’ll be sure to have some littles, so that I’m not the end of your family tree! You’re just overall amazing and I can’t wait to do more SHERMAN Fam stuff in the future!! - Mitchell, Mu Pi, KKPsi
Iota K
Theta, Kapp
Y
ou guys this yea closer to yo
- Your frien
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see Vargas Tau Beta Sigma
has been an amazing Director of Affairs for the Theta Delta past year, and is going to be an esident this coming year. She what it means to be a Sister of gma and goes above and erve the community.
Micky Welther Iota Pi, Kappa Kappa Psi
S
he is a wicked awesome president who puts her all into making our chapter a better place for all! Also shoutout for stepping up to the plate for District Secretary-Treasurer! We are all so proud of you :) - David Horwitz, Iota Pi, KKPsi
- Anonymous
Kappa
pa Kappa Psi
s did an amazing job hosting WDC ar! We have been so happy to grow ou guys. MLITB <3
ndly Taco Bell Loving chapter, Iota Pi
Charlene & Lance Western District Governors
S
hout-out to Lance and Charlene for being amazing Western District Governors this biennium! - Anonymous
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SHOUT OUTS!
Anna H
Epsilon Kappa
A
nna H. is t ever! ~ <3
Eryn Streeter
E
Beta Omicron, Kappa Kappa Psi
ryn has been a prodigious Brother of Kappa Kappa Psi and her dedication to this organization is endless. The unconditional love she shows for her chapter and the district is the prime example on what an ideal Brother is. No matter the obstacles in life, she is always there and even strives to do it better than what can be accomplished as the bare minimum. Thank you for being the prime example of Brotherhood and for being a remarkable Brother. - Anonymous
Montana Webb Nu Epsilon, Kappa Kappa Psi
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hanks for being such a fantastic president. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m proud to call you my big! Go on and do great things, but never forget your Brothers. We love you, best of luck. - Terryn Hardy, Nu Epsilon, KKPsi
F
or starti passion
Rogue Huitron Iota Kappa, Kappa Kappa Psi
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hank you Rogue for demonstrating true Brotherhood at Western District Convention. When another Brother and I were stressed and didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think we could find food or get stuff we needed from the hotel, you drove us to Taco Bell, helped us get everything we needed, and most importantly - became a great friend. Even though weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d never met each other before, you helped two sleep-deprived Californians feel like we were right at home and belonged. I feel incredibly lucky to have met you, and I hope you can attend many other district events so that many other Brothers and Sisters get the pleasure of meeting you and seeing a shining example of Brotherly love!
Hubel
a, Tau Beta Sigma
the Best Candidate Mom 3 Alpha Phi - Anonymous
- Max Rosenberg, Iota Pi, KKPsi
Loren Wrigley Omega, Tau Beta Sigma
C Elizabeth Raymond
Zeta Xi, Tau Beta Sigma
ing off so early in the chapter with a n for leadership and music. - McFly
ongrats on becoming Western District President! You have done so much for Omega and we were so lucky to have you as our chapter president. You will continue to do wonderful things for this organization, we all know it. MLITB. - Anonymous
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Omega a year with
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he Omega Chapter of Tau Beta Sigma and its 57 active members have had a busy semester continuing service with the Fred Fox School of Music and some of its new administration. The Pride of Arizona received new Director Dr. Chad Shoopman, who is also our new chapter sponsor, offering our chapter new challenges and ideas to better help support the music and Tucson community. We have continued growing alongside our Brother chapter Beta Omicron at ASU, providing each prospective class with a big Brother or Sister from the opposite organization. This bond continues throughout the year when we travel to each other’s cities to teach each organization’s lessons to the prospective class. Our two most recent historians Mark Silvern and Carli Flores have been continuing a project to
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Gina Chung Omega, TBS
We can’t wait to bring them into our organization and better ourselves through fresh ideas and membership!
preserve our chapter’s history. They have been utilizing the History Committee to scan and digitize all pictures, scrapbooks, and papers dating back to the 1950’s to make them all available to the chapter to view online. Our candidate class, Epsilon Kappa, is nearing the end of its semester-long process of discovering what our Sisterhood is all about. All 14 candidates are also teaching our chapter as they plan a new service project with the Boys and Girls Club as well as a new fundraiser. We can’t wait to
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bring them into our organization and better ourselves through fresh ideas and membership! Omega like many other chapters has been busy traveling to spend time, learn, and serve with other chapters at our State Days in Flagstaff, DLC in Los Angeles, and WDC in Boise. Many of us are planning to travel to Orlando this summer and we can’t wait to see everyone there! Bear Down, Go Cats! Tau Beta Sigma, Omega The University of Arizona
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Left: The Rockin’ for Rett playing gig was a recent service event held at a 5k hosted by an honorary Omega Sister. Sisters and candidates played pep tunes for those running to find a cure for Rett Syndrome. Right: The Epsilon Kappa Class gather after their Third Degree ceremony.
From Omega’s Epsilon Kappa Candidate Class
A
t the beginning of our process, we were a group of fourteen strangers. As our process comes to a close, we can all say we have unexpectedly become great friends. While we waited for our first degree to start, we talked awkwardly to each other, but recently at our second degree we realized what difference a few months can make. Throughout this semester we’ve each attended meetings, taken (and failed) some tests, and had at
least 40 bios each. As much work as it has been, we’re getting so much more done in this last month. We have been working hard together to complete our crests. Each crest represents a different part of our sorority. For example Sisterhood and service are two important aspects of our sorority and they are represented within our crests to help us, as candidates, learn more about Tau Beta Sigma and what it means to be a Sister. In the next few weeks we have coordinated a Bingo
The Epsilon Kappa Class achieved their service crest by playing for and with the Boys and Girls Club at their center.
Night fundraiser, a service event with the local Boys and Girls Club, and a Sisterhood game night. These are for our crests. The Bingo night is to satisfy our ways and means crest by raising money for our chapter. The Boys and Girls Club event is to satisfy our service crest, by playing for and with the children at the center and bringing joy to their days. The game night is to satisfy our Sisterhood crest by creating an environment to spend time with fellow Sisters, candidates and actives. With third degree only a few weeks away, the Epsilon Kappa class of TBS Omega is grateful for all of the opportunities we’ve been given so far and all the more we will experience during our time with Tau Beta Sigma. (NOTE: With many alumni and active Sisters present, the Epsilon Kappa class of the Omega chapter completed their journey and became Sisters on April 30th.)
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Thank You Eta Claire Heatherly Eta Omega, TBS
H
ello everyone in The West! My name is Claire “zKildHjian” Heatherly and I am from the Eta Omega chapter of Tau Beta Sigma, and this is my thank you to Eta Omega. It’s been an amazing year and this semester has been easily the best semester in my active or even my college career. This semester Eta Omega has twenty two active Sisters, and we are the biggest we have been in years. With this being said, Eta Omega has really continued to stick to our pillars. With every Sister full-heartedly on board we have successfully finished service
projects such as running a WGI show and a full band festival which boasted over twenty schools. As our active chapter pushes to better ourselves and our community, the officers have helped lead the charge in making sure all the correct steps and procedures are done in any and all circumstances; such as correcting the constitution, keeping up in our flag pieces, raising money, showing our candidates the way, and presenting Eta Omega’s best self to the world. Many of you by now must be thinking, “Well that’s great but how is this different from any other semester?” I must say, the heart
and the class that these ladies project truly made my semester the best semester in my college career. Watching every single person in this organization grow warms my heart in such a way, that I never had expected from an organization. This organization holds true to its roots in service and music, but what I am most proud of is the love and the care that these men and women not only have for each other but for everyone else around them. Being in this sorority, for me, is so dear and important to me because they changed my life for the better. I truly do not have the words to
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Omega! completely and utterly share what this organization has done for me, so I will leave a quote from someone who does have a way with words.
“Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams
that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough,
Eta Omega as photographed by Michael Wootten.
but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful.” -Bob Marley I love you Eta Omega. Respectfully submitted by, Claire “zKildHjian” Heatherly Tau Beta Sigma, Eta Omega
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Arizona Lauren Streeter Alpha Chi, TBS
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rizona State Days was a weekend full of adventure and a joint bond to never forget. Arizona State Days was hosted in Flagstaff, Arizona by the Alpha Chi Chapter of Tau Beta Sigma and the Gamma Kappa Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi. There was attendance from Brothers and Sisters across the state and across the Western District. With the Omega Chapter of Tau Beta Sigma, the Beta Omicron Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi, and the Gamma Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi all coming together as one, this was for sure filled with many memories. During Arizona State Days, we all worked in different groups to participate in four service projects.
Some siblings remained inside to clean up the music building and to organize the marching band uniform room. The rest of the siblings traveled outside to take on a campus clean up and to clean up the avenue that is adopted in
Downtown Flagstaff. The service project took a while, but was completed and the community was served. There were also other activities throughout the weekend such as a Photo Fun Hunt, Pep Band playing at a Basketball
Game, and a Programs night to bring the chapters closer together. Last, the weekend ended with Gamma Kappa and Alpha Chi hosting First Degree along with a Joint Experience that was opened up for the entire State to attend to watch three candidates start their rush process. After the end of the weekend, it was for sure one of the best State Days to remember.
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Arizona State Days was a weekend full of adventure and a joint bond to never forget.
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Top Left: The Arizona Chapters welcome the Gamma Alpha Rush Class during Gamma Kappa and Alpha Chi’s First Degree. Bottom Left: Sisters and Brothers prepare to participate in a Photo Fun Hunt. Top Right: The Arizona Chapters of Tau Beta Sigma and Kappa Kappa Psi play with the NAU Pep Band at the basketball game. Bottom Right: Omega and Beta Omicron join Alpha Chi and Gamma Kappa with serving the Flagstaff Community.
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Calivada Michelle Leccese Psi, KKPsi
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unny days and warm nights, beach adventures and city scavenger hunts? Harmonic voices, line dancing, and basketball games? Brothers and Sisters all uniting for one great weekend coupled with Westernly Spirit and love? SOCKS? It truly was all fun and games (and a whole lot of bonding) for the Brothers and Sisters of Calivada (California and Nevada chapters) at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly SLO) this year. Chapters from all across the Calivada area came together as one to laugh, sing, joke, and strengthen their out-of-homechapter relationships with one another. Our lovely host, the Iota Pi
Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi, made our stay more than just welcoming; they made it intriguing and left most chapters wishing they could stay longer. From the countless adventures that each of us had, either exploring
Smugglers Cove or racing to take pictures all through out the city in search of odd occurrences or touristy captions, every Sister and Brother had a smile on their face as they returned home for the day. Not only was the day filled with
fun but also the Iota Pi chapter treated us to a home “Mustang” basketball game and a good old fashion SLO line-dancing club. Needless to say we danced and cheered our crazy socks off (which most people purchased at “The Sock Drawer” earlier that day). To add a sweet red cherry on top of this fantastic weekend, the Western District Officers helped engage all participating Brothers and Sisters (and even prospecting members of both organizations) in a recording of the Western District Joint Hymn as a well-developed service project. After a long twohour practice we were ready to share our voices in pride of both Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma chapters of the Western District. Overall, the experiences and
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...Every Sister and Brother had a smile on their face as they returned home for the day.
memories that member’s took from this year’s Calivada State days were mesmerizing and will stay with us, captivating our thoughts till we can again participate in this wonderful bonding event next year. We thank Iota Pi’s chapter once again for being such gracious hosts. I can say for sure UCLA’s Chapters were PsiEKed to be at this year’s Calivada State days.
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AEA and MLITB, Michelle Leccese UCLA Brother Psi Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi
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Utaho
Shailey Woodward Theta Eta, TBS
U
taho States days was a very chilly weekend but a fantastic one! Boise State’s KKPsi arrived at roughly 8 in the evening on Friday January 27, 2017 at Utah State University. The festivities began with an individual introduction from every member and then we got our snow gear on and went sledding down USU’s Old Main Hill.
sense of belonging he gained from them. Leslie Timmons talked about how important service is not only in music, but in our lives.
The next day, two members of University of Utah’s TBS joined the fun and the morning began with excellent advice from two of Utah State’s music professors, namely: Dr. Thomas Rohrer (director of bands) and Leslie Timmons (flute professor). Dr. Rohrer talked about the unity that these band sororities and fraternities bring and the
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The day then followed with fun minute to win it games and concluded with all of the fraternities and sororities joining the Aggie Pep Band that night at the USU vs. Fresno State basketball game. The night was finished off with some bonding and casual chatter as we
all got to know each other better. Sunday began with a scavenger hunt, and then we took a picture with the “A” and sent our dear friends off back to their homes in Salt Lake and Boise. It was a wonderful experience where sweet friends and memories were made.
It was a wonderful experience where sweet friends and memories were made.
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Wagon
Kaila Howell Mu Pi, KKPsi
W
e had eight chapters from the West in attendance at Wagon States Days this year, which was very exciting. It almost made it feel like a mini Western District Convention. Throughout the weekend, our emphasis was on bonding with Brothers and learning about other chapters. We started the weekend with games and a potluck. On the second day, we had service projects, including organizing the UO uniform room,
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helping with a local music competition, and doing a bottle drive. We also had a reading band, did a scavenger hunt, went to a comedy show, and watched some Harry Potter. On the last day we sang the Spirit of the West and did some more bonding. The weekend went great and Mu Pi was extremely happy to host! We loved seeing everyone and can’t wait for next year’s Wagon!
Our emphasis was on bonding with Brothers and learning about other chapters.
The bottle drive was not the most successful service project, but we had fun exploring the area the bottle return was in and it led to fun bonding with Brothers.
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Left: Many Brothers went to eat Panda Express, Mu Piâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s profit share for the weekend. We had to put together a ton of tables and probably made the largest table the student union has seen. Below: We made posters for every chapter and people wrote nice things about every chapter on these giant cards. Bottom: Our reading band conducted by Mu Piâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own Raiko Green. She is a music student who wants to be a music educator, so we thought this would be great experience for her.
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Ideal Active Achievement Award Lyssa Fukuhara
Member-at-Large, KKPsi
Brothers and Sisters of the West,
T
hank you to everyone who nominated a Brother for the Ideal Active Achievement Award! We’d like to recognize three other Brothers who were nominated for this award: Kelsey Cooper, Aimee Chow, and Brian Johnstone. It’s so much fun to read about the awesome things all of you are doing in your chapters.
Kelsey Cooper
Aimee Chow
Mu Pi, Nominee
Iota Kappa, Nominee
Brian Johnstone Theta, Nominee
Colton Brooks Theta, IAAA Spring Recipient
I
’m happy to announce that the KKPsi WD council has selected Colton Brooks from the Theta Chapter as the recipient of the Spring IAAA. Colton is enthusiastic, reliable, and motivated. He has outstanding participation in chapter activities and takes initiative with chapter projects, regardless of leadership titles. Congratulations Colton!
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National Convention Orlando, FL COMING SOON JULY 18â&#x20AC;&#x201C;22 REGISTER HERE: http://natcon.kkytbsonline.com/
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Thank You for Reading! Questions? Comments? Send them to: wdpub@kkpsi.org