“Hello! My name is Allison Catlin, and it is my honor to serve as the President for the Xi Phi chapter of Delta Zeta. Delta Zeta will forever hold a special place in my heart. I can thank this sorority and the women within it for all the incredible memories, laughs, and opportunities that I have gained during my college experience. Little did I know that when I joined Delta Zeta, I joined a group of women with like minded values who would support me, inspire me, and empower me to become the best version of myself. 

In Delta Zeta, we truly uphold our six core values of generosity, friendship, empowerment, curiosity, community, and belonging. I see my Delta Zeta sisters exemplify these values everyday and our commitment to honoring these values help shape the paths we walk along. While I find that all of my sisters portray every single one of these values, the one I have personally felt the most touched by has been empowerment. Before joining Delta Zeta, I had never seen a group of women more willing to be each other's biggest cheerleaders. Nothing is better than truly feeling supported, uplifted, and empowered by those around you. Our sisters are quick to applaud every accomplishment among us and I couldn’t be more grateful. 

As a chapter, we are committed to making Delta Zeta a home for anyone. We understand how crucial it is to maintain a sisterhood that is inclusive, safe, and knowledgeable. We achieve this by designating a chair that is dedicated to highlighting and informing the chapter on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. Members attend events to help further our knowledge of cultures, allyship training, and learning how to provide resources and tools to those who need us. Our sisters are also all involved in at least one other organization outside of the sorority. This allows us to become more well rounded and open up our interests to the many different organizations that UMKC has to offer.  

One aspect of this sorority that makes me so proud to be a Delta Zeta, is our love and passion towards our philanthropic efforts. There is something so special in seeing those around you raise awareness for organizations that do so much good in this world. Our national philanthropies consist of Starkey Hearing Foundation, American Society for Deaf Children, and SeriousFun Children's Network. Starkey Hearing Foundations mission is to bring the gift of hearing to those who live in a silent world. They have provided more than 1.5 million hearing healthcare services to those in need worldwide. The American Society for Deaf Children strives to serve families of hearing parents with deaf children the resources necessary to communicate with their child. SeriousFun Children’s Network provides an unforgettable experience to children living with serious illnesses. What may seem as simple as attending a summer camp to some, was seemingly impossible to others living with serious illnesses before SeriousFun Children’s Network. They provide an inclusive summer camp opportunity as well as provide an outlet for children and families to meet others going through the same thing. As Delta Zetas, we serve as advocates for our philanthropies; each one of us is a piece of a puzzle much larger than we can see, but still so beneficial to the overall betterment of the world around us. 

To be among women who all come from very different walks of life, and yet we come together to celebrate our shared values and support each other through thick and thin; it reminds me to be so thankful for every path I followed that led me to becoming a Delta Zeta. I have been provided everlasting love, memories I will never forget, and sisters I will keep for a lifetime.”