Dreaming Boldly. Designing Fully.
Writer: Ashley J. / Photos: Chapter Provided
Kappa Kappa Gamma’s (Kappa) motto is, “Dream Boldly. Live Fully.” Kate F. embodies this core value by designing unique and creative graphics for the publication Her Campus at FSU, as well as serving as her chapter’s T-Shirt Coordinator.
Since she was young, Kate has always been artistic. Attending Florida State University (FSU), she wanted to find somewhere she could continue to be creative. She is working toward earning an Undergraduate degree in Studio Art, with a focus in electronic media and printmaking, but she wanted to do more. She states, “Art was always a part of me, and coming here to college, I was going to take the initiative; I wanted to join something where I can work on my art.”
Starting in her first year of college, Kate joined Her Campus, an online blog by and for college women. Kate recalls first learning about the publication through their Instagram and was inspired by the posts, specifically the graphics. In a full circle moment, she now serves as their Executive Graphics/Pinterest Chair, responsible for creating those very same graphics that first drew her to the organization. Kate also oversees other content creators at the publication, and she loves working with the other women on both social media and graphic design teams.
In addition to her work at Her Campus, Kate was also recently elected as T-Shirt Coordinator at Kappa, and is responsible for designing and managing everything required to create the chapter’s merchandise. When she first joined Kappa, she shadowed their former T-Shirt Coordinator and loved it! She expressed that she immediately knew this role was something she wanted to do. Her graphic design and leadership experience with Her Campus helped her in this new leadership role within her chapter, and she was so excited for this opportunity to grow and lead within her chapter!
Her Campus has become like a second sisterhood to Kate. Within the publication, she has found like-minded women in a community-based space that is designed to make room for women in journalism. She is proud to say that she is still friends with some of the women she met on her very first day as a writer her freshman year. Kate excitedly remarked that there are several women who are in both Kappa and Her Campus. She has been able to form an even deeper bond with these women as both sisters and artists. She recounts a story of a big group of her sisters eating dinner together at Kappa, and then walking to their Her Campus meeting to make vision boards together. She says, “It’s like two sisterhoods: double the fun!”
For example, Kate and Bella (pictured) are both Kappa women who serve on the Her Campus executive board.
Beyond the designing skills she is gaining, Kate’s campus involvement is helping her grow her communication and leadership skills in a more professional setting. She discusses how she must keep an open mind to others’ creative ideas, working with them, and how learning to collaborate with others in this way is an invaluable skill. As Kappa’s T-Shirt Coordinator, she collaborates with others both within her chapter and outside of it, working with her sisters, as well as working with companies that produce merchandise. She produces new merchandise items that the entire sisterhood has adored!
Kate wants to work creating magazine editorials in the future and loves all of the amazing opportunities Florida State has afforded her to work towards this dream. FSU has allowed her to balance learning more about art at a conceptual level with learning about it at a business level: “It’s the best of both worlds here.” Her Studio Art major gives her one perspective of art, while her involvement within Kappa, Her Campus, gives her various other perspectives. By seeking out all of these different experiences and opportunities available to her, Kate has grown as both an artist and as a person.