Ashley Azevedo is a junior Finance major at Wake Forest who is interested in both psychology and health. Recently, Ashley was elected to serve as the next President of the Kappa Kappa Gamma (KKG) sorority. I interviewed Ashley on her hopes, goals, and plans for the future of the sorority amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Her Campus: Did you always want to be the President of a sorority? Were there any positions or experiences that helped you realize you wanted to assume a leadership role?
Ashley Azevedo: I honestly never would have seen myself being the President if you had asked me Freshman or Sophomore year. This past year I got involved in KKG’s Chapter Council as the House Chairman and really enjoyed building strong relationships with different girls in the chapter and trying to create a sense of community in our Halls despite the pandemic, which definitely got me more interested in serving as President. I think, in general, I was interested in the role because I have loved being a part of Kappa and want to help the chapter continue to grow and evolve!
HC: Are there any initiatives that you plan to take to promote unity and fun activities amidst COVID-19? Or, do you think sorority activities are impossible during this time?
AA: I definitely want to help organize and plan some fun activities for the chapter, especially after rush. Rush will obviously be such a different and new experience for everyone this year, so it will definitely be really important to organize some fun bonding activities with the new pledge class so they get the same experience of bonding and sisterhood that our older members have had. It would be amazing to find some ways to get together in small groups socially distanced, but if that is not possible due to COVID-19, I will definitely be working with other members of our Chapter Council to organize events on Zoom as well.
HC: What are some of your goals for the direction of this sorority in the next year? Are there any specific changes that you want to enact?
AA: This past semester has been such a weird time with learning how to do things like chapter and bonding on more of a virtual platform. Some of my main goals are to host speaker events via Zoom, find ways to host socially distanced events like dinners in small groups, and continue to find new ways to host some of the amazing philanthropy events we have been able to organize over virtual platforms. I am so excited to work with all the other members of the new Chapter Council and hear some of the great ideas they have for their specific positions that can be implemented in these weird times.
HC: If you could leave your mark in one way on the organization, what would it be?
AA: I know for me what really stood out about KKG during recruitment was how positive and uplifting everyone was towards each other. We definitely have a really strong sense of community and I want to make sure that continues to come across even during COVID-19. I hope to make sure that every member – whether they’re a new member or a senior – feels the same excitement, unity, and sense of community in Kappa during this COVID era as they did before!
HC: How do you hope this leadership position prepares you for life after graduation?
AA: I definitely think being President of any sorority is a really huge responsibility and task to take on. It is definitely not an easy job and all of the girls that have been President since my Freshman year have been so great in the role and been amazing role models. Personally, since I am pursuing a career in business, I think the role of President will prepare me well in learning to manage time and interpersonal relations, as well as in learning to delegate tasks. In addition, being President will definitely help me continue to develop really strong communication and integrity, both of which will be useful in a professional setting post-graduation.