I recently had the opportunity to interview Mackenzie Sharpe, president of the Gamma Sigma Phi sorority. The following is what transpired:
What do you like the most about your sorority?
I love the community. Being in the sorority has given me the opportunity to bond with girls I wouldn’t have met otherwise. They have become my best friends and I know we will be friends for our whole life. I wouldn’t have gotten to experience such close and unique relationships without the sorority. When you are an underclassman, it is great to have a group of girls who are older than you and take you under their wings. As an upperclassman, you have the opportunity to do the same for the younger girls. I have been able to participate in so many things through the sorority that I wouldn’t have otherwise, such as service projects, sorority events, Bible studies, and IM sports.
What is your greatest memory of being a Gamma Sig?
My greatest memory of being a Gamma Sig is living on the hall with my friends. It is an experience that is irreplaceable. I cannot define it by one specific event or moment because there were so many little things that make it such a great memory. I will look back on my time at the college fondly because of the fun that we had living on the hall together, no matter how stressed we were about school.
Your sorority puts on a lot of events, do you have a favorite?
I really love our fall party. We don’t have to get all dressed up like we do for formal (even though I think formal is great too) but still get to invite dates. We do a typical fall activity. This year we went to a haunted hayride and last fall we went to a corn maze. It is so much fun to do something like that with a big group of your friends.
Does your sorority support a specific charity or organization through fundraisers?
We support a few different charities through our fundraisers. Battle of the Bands is a case by case fundraiser, so we choose something that is relevant during the time we put it on. This year, all the profits went to the American Cancer Society in memory of a KAP alumni who recently passed away. Profits and canned goods donated at The Gobbler go to the Thrifty Threads Food Pantry to support Thanksgiving meals for local families. We Christmas Carol at County Market in the winter to support our Adopt-a-Family and put on a lemonade stand in the spring to support another relevant cause. Last year the money went to a scholarship fund in memory of a cousin of one of our sisters who had recently passed.
Can you tell me a little about your faculty advisor, if you have one, and what they mean to the Gamma Sigs?
Our faculty advisor is Dr. Kimberly Miller, a communications professor. She is so helpful when it comes to questions I have. She goes to lunch with us on occasion to catch up. Her family hosts us for an annual Christmas party and a picnic at the end of the year. She is so hospitable and we love having her as our “mom”.
Can you speak to the friendships you’ve made as a member of the Gamma Sigs that you might not have made otherwise?
I spoke about this a lot above but I will say it again because I am so passionate about it! I really would not have met my best friends if it weren’t for the Gamma Sigs. I did not know my three best friends before I joined the sorority. After joining, you are able to form friendships with others through living on the hall with them. Being surrounded by the people you love most every day is a blessing that I would not have received if I wasn’t in the sorority. We will be friends for life because we have so many shared experiences through the sorority.
