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Greek Women in Leadership 2024

2024 National Women's History Month Outstanding Leaders

In honor of National Women's History Month, College of Charleston Panhellenic is recognizing three outstanding women who have shown great leadership in not only their chapters, but have impacted the Charleston community as well. 

Brooke Emery | Kappa Alpha Theta

Why did you decide to go greek?

 

As a sophomore at the College, I went greek to explore a new part of the

College of Charleston campus community. I found women who supported

me in doing things that I never saw myself capable of. Additionally, I have always

been passionate about learning more about the Charleston community. Therefore,

the involvement in local Charleston philanthropies allowed me this opportunity and

offered me a new and valuable perspective. 

 

What motivates you to be a leader in the Charleston community?

 

I am motivated by my hopes of improving my leadership skills, learning more about how to better a community, and my love for working collaboratively with others. I strongly believe that leadership is a group effort, and I would not be the leader I am today without the numerous people who have supported me along the way.

 

Focusing on women’s empowerment, who is a woman who has influenced your purpose behind being a leader? 

 

A woman who has influenced my purpose behind being a leader is Martha Graham. As a dancer, I have always looked up to her for her achievements in the dance world. She combined her love for choreography, music, and design to create her unique style and produce some of the most well-known choreographers and performers of this generation.

What impact do you hope to make as a leader? 

 

When I imagine myself making an impact, I imagine my actions having a positive influence on the actions of those who lead after me. I want to act as the catalyst for someone else to reach their goals and have an impact on their community or organization.

 

How do you hope to be a role model for younger women?

 

It is extremely important for young women to have a role model to look up to and be inspired by. I hope to serve as a role model to younger women to inspire them to get involved in things that they love and are interested in. Much too often, we force ourselves into leadership roles that we are not passionate about, and this results in a less effective and less enjoyable leadership experience.

A message from the Kappa Alpha Theta President:

Brooke is an amazing woman to celebrate. She is present in so many areas within the Charleston community. Brooke is a Faith in the Vaccine Student Ambassador, where she serves as a campus and community ambassador for the COVID vaccination, specifically in the religious communities of Charleston, SC. She is also a CofC EMS Volunteer where she works to provide free ambulance transport and first response care for students and staff. Additionally, she also is the CofC EMS Public Outreach Co-chair. Brooke is also a CofC Women’s Health Research Team Research Assistant where she helped create literature matrix and protocol for the development of a Telehealth program for women in rural South Carolina. She was also the Research Assistant with SPARK for Autism Research Study where she helped the study with recruitment efforts, event planning, sample collection, and social media efforts. In addition to all of these amazing things that Brooke is involved in many other clubs and organizations. Brooke is the definition of a boss woman. 

Addison Higgins | Kappa Delta

Why did you decide to go greek?

Going through recruitment I got to learn how involved each organization is

with its philanthropy. I have grown up with a passion for volunteering, in order

to give back to my community. I thought going Greek would be a great start to

getting involved with charities here in Charleston, while also making great friends.

 

What motivates you to be a leader in the Charleston community?

The thing that motivates me the most to be a leader is being able to do my part

and contribute what I can to continue to help our great community grow!! I have

been told by multiple people that I am a natural leader, because of my good

organizational and communication skills. I have always loved taking on leadership

roles and being able to work with others more closely, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to be one of the amazing leaders of KD.  

Focusing on women’s empowerment, who is a woman who has influenced your purpose behind being a leader? 

A woman that has influenced my purpose of being a leader is my Mom. Growing up, she worked a lot but at night would always make time for the entire family to volunteer somewhere. She was in a higher role at the bank that she worked at, so when we went to visit her I always admired that people looked up to her for guidance. She always taught my siblings and I the importance of sticking with a commitment, being a good role model, and being responsible. I believe it was her influence that subconsciously made me want to get involved as a leader whenever I could. 

What impact do you hope to make as a leader? 

The impact that I hope to make as a leader in my organization is to leave them with the tools to continue all of their future endeavors successfully and build an environment that facilitates encouraging others to get involved and become leaders themselves. 

How do you hope to be a role model for younger women?

I hope to be a role model for younger women in the way of confidence. Kappa Delta’s motto is Go Confidently and that had a big part of why I chose them. I have always worked with kids up-close and spent a year as a nanny to a little girl. From watching her grow in just that year, I learned the importance of ensuring confidence in young women early on. Confidence in your self-worth is vital to one’s happiness.

A message from the Kappa Delta President:

Addison has been such a positive force within Kappa Delta this year. She constantly seeks to achieve in every aspect of her life. As a first-year member in Kappa Delta, she has immediately immersed herself in every opportunity available. Addison is our Vice-President Inclusion, managing both the Standards Board and the DEI team within our chapter. This is a new position this year, and she has already made so much progress. She devotes all of her efforts to making our chapter the best that it can be, and her work should not go unnoticed. She has implemented a DEI team in order to educate all of our members on becoming more educated on topics that are often difficult to talk about. She meets with this team weekly to discuss how they can best seek to educate our entire chapter, and she makes sure to give each member of this team ample opportunity to offer their input. She does not shy away from having tough conversations, but rather seeks to do everything in her power to educate and speak in a way that allows everyone to trust her. In addition to all of Addison’s efforts within our chapter, her academic achievements and involvement at the College of Charleston should also not go unnoticed. Addison is a freshman, but in credits she is a junior and will graduate next spring. She loves learning new information more than anyone I have ever met. Even as president, I will always go to her when I have a question, because she almost always knows the answer. I tell her every day that she is my personal encyclopedia, as there has never been a question that she does not know the answer to. Addison has also gotten very involved with the College of Charleston Office of Multicultural Student Programs. She attended the summer program for minority students prior to her freshman year, and has since remained in contact with the Multicultural Program Center, often going to them for advice on how to better educate our chapter on DEI. I could go on and on about all of the positivity that Addison has brought both to Kappa Delta and the College of Charleston community. I truly believe that she will achieve amazing things in the future, and that she perfectly embodies the ideals that we focus on during Women’s History Month.

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Kate Coffey | Zeta Tau Alpha

Why did you decide to go greek?

 I was motivated to join to be apart of larger community on campus! 

 

What motivates you to be a leader in the Charleston community?

 I have always found a lot of value in being a leader to promote positive change

in the organizations I am apart of! I have also learned the most when in

leadership roles. 

 

Focusing on women’s empowerment, who is a woman who has influenced

your purpose behind being a leader? 

I honestly feel most empowered as a woman when working with my peers and fellow young woman leaders. 

 

What impact do you hope to make as a leader? 

I hope to be a part of making space for everyone in organizations and promoting leadership for those who might not see it in themselves.

 

How do you hope to be a role model for younger women?

I hope to be a role model by empowering people to take risks in reaching for goals they did not think were possible - apply to something that’s a reach, join a new club, etc. 

A message from the Zeta Tau Alpha President:

Kate Coffey has consistently been an outstanding member of Eta Lambda. Kate has served on our executive team as our Vice President of Committees as well as our Vice President of Philanthropy. She has overcome COVID-19 battles while holding and thriving in her position. She has been able to hold fundraising events while staying within the COVID-19 guidelines. Such as tabling in our campus quad and percent nights at local jewelry shops. Kate took full charge of meeting the survivors during our Crown Chase 5-k fundraiser. Kate has also helped our new VP4 adjust to her position by making herself available for meetings and vulnerable conversations. Kate is also extremely involved outside of the Zeta world. She is the captain of CofC’s NCAA Equestrian team, a volunteer with the Pediatric Collaborative Care Center at the National Crimes Victim Center, a volunteer as a research assistant with the Forensic Psychiatry department, and more! This outstanding member has forever transformed the sisterhood of our chapter. Although we will be saying our goodbyes too Kate in May, we are very thankful for her for setting the stage for Eta Lambda to thrive.

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