Delving into Many Perspectives
Writer: Bella B. Editor: Grace C. Photographer: Abby W.
“Working in both roles means that I always have to be thinking about how others feel or behave in the context of their situation, so being able to think from different perspectives,” states Katie I. regarding her position as a Behavioral Therapist with Cayre Behavioral Group along with her other on and off-campus involvements!
Katie has been a member of Kappa Alpha Theta since Fall 2019 and currently serves as their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Chair! She is also very involved in their philanthropy, Guardian Ad Litems, and volunteers there frequently in addition to her involvement as a Behavioral Therapist with Cayre Behavioral Group.
When it comes to her chapter position, she emphasizes her passion for the subject and social justice overall. “When the position was added to our chapter, I immediately knew there was so much work to be done as a Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion of a chapter under a predominately white council.”
The position was introduced shortly after the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement following George Floyd’s death to bring real and meaningful action through education. Katie says she prioritizes conversations centralized around anti-racism, white privilege, fragility, and other topics like sexual orientation, gender identity, and more.
She acknowledges that, “as I am white, I recognize that my own take on these topics is limited, so I’m planning on having Black educators come and speak on these in the future! Another big goal was increasing Theta’s involvement with the other Greek councils, identity-based agencies, and community organizations, so we have mini groups led by our Executive Board and Cabinet members where we update them weekly on events held by those organizations and encourage them to go to their events!”
Katie says a big part of it all is education and being knowledgeable on the subjects and what is going on in our society and the world.
“When I first started, I felt like our chapter needed tangible ways to advocate for marginalized groups, so to increase our chapter’s civic engagement, I’ve been sharing bills that are being discussed in Florida’s legislature that directly affect queer people, people in poverty, and those impacted by reproductive rights. I’ll share the details and implications of the proposed bill, and encourage them to listen to the discussion, publicly comment, or write to their representatives.”
Along with her position as DEI, Katie understands the importance of using her voice and actions to help others and look through varying perspectives through her work for Cayre Behavioral Group, CBG. “[They provide] applied behavior analysis (ABA) consultation to children diagnosed with autism and other developmental disabilities.”
While only beginning this year, Katie remarks how incredible it is to work with the kids. Despite all the challenges they may face together, she says it’s all but worth it to see them build up verbal, academic, and other developmental skills.
Along with her work as DEI for Kappa Alpha Theta and as a Behavioral Therapist for CBG, she also works with Guardian Ad Litems, advocating for Florida’s Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Program. With this position, she spends time with children, as they are going in and out of foster homes or relative placements, to find what will truly be for the best interest of the child.
“After gathering information from the child and their environment, we advocate for them in court hearings, so that they’re represented in the decision-making process too.”
While only being a volunteer since last November, she has been involved with the overall program since her freshman year as the program is a part of Kappa Alpha Theta’s philanthropy! She further says, “GAL allows me to have perspective on what might be happening in a child’s life, and how those formative years can determine much of their future and this definitely applied to the kiddos I work with at CBG… Building trust and understanding would be the most significant transferred skill; that’s the biggest foundation that has to be established between the GAL and the child when you first get assigned a case!”
Currently studying psychology, she says through her vast experiences that she plans to have a career as a Physician Assistant.
“The profession was literally developed to expand healthcare to underserved areas, which I’m deeply passionate about! This has only been strengthened through my position as a DEI Officer and a GAL, as I’m continuously learning about the inaccessibility of healthcare for many people, and working in Applied Behavior Analysis as a Behavior Therapist has allowed me to work with a population that I wasn’t used to working with before.”
Katie says she’s lucky to be so involved, and that all her positions bring her better patience, energy, and responsibility to represent and help people. Through her range of involvement, she brings all her experiences and perspectives together to do the best for not only her chapter but all the people she works with across and beyond campus.