Shining a Light on Service
Writer: Mia A. / Editor: Ariana W. / Photographer: Nadya R.
“Andrea embodies faith through her confidence in others’ abilities along with her own and exemplifies hope by her actions to better the community and the belief in positive change,” said Allie C., VP External Affairs for Theta. “As for the value of love, Andrea shows this to her family, friends, and community through acts of kindness.” Andrea grew up in Tampa with two supportive parents who were her role models in every way. Her mother, Gaby, is an immigrant from Argentina, who came to America to start over. “Because she came from nothing, she taught me the value of service and has always pushed me to help the community at a young age,” said Andrea. As a child, Andrea and her mother attended mission trips, visited and donated to food pantries, and worked to make food baskets for the homeless. Gaby inspired her to dedicate her life to service and helping others, which is shown through her current work in the Tallahassee community.
Service is one of the four pillars of Panhellenic life. Yet, it is still very inspiring to see a single member’s commitment to the lifelong service Panhellenic sisterhood entails. Andrea S. is the Service Director of Kappa Alpha Theta and has inspired all of her sisters to get involved in numerous service organizations in Tallahassee to make their community a better place. Aside from encouraging her sisters, Andrea is responsible for planning and executing all of Theta’s service events such as DΘ Brunch for CASA and KATS + DOGS. “I feel that as sorority women we have an obligation to make a difference in the community and help the underprivileged because we are so lucky to be in Theta and there is a certain privilege that comes with that,” said Andrea.
Kappa Alpha Theta’s philanthropy is CASA, which stands for National Court Appointed Special Advocates/Guardian ad Litem. Sisters serve as advocates or Guardian ad Litem for youth who have experienced abuse or neglect. CASA’s mission supports child advocacy so that every child who has experienced such unfortunate circumstances can “be safe, have a permanent home, and the opportunity to thrive.” Andrea is proud to say that Theta women are truly making a direct positive change in the lives of the children who are going through unimaginable things. Theta’s values are “faith, hope, and love,” and Andrea’s sisters have explained how she represents those virtues every day through her work as a director.
Andrea began her service career in college through the Guardian Ad Litem program at Theta, which she continues to this day, “I love doing Guardian ad Litem because I have developed close relationships with the kids, and I feel that I am an older sister and mentor to them.”
Because of her love for working with foster children and advocating for their cause, she became an FSU Community Ambassador for Boys Town North Florida (a non-profit organization that works with foster children). In this program, Andrea interns for over seventy five hours a semester and she takes a bi-weekly class about leadership skills and working for a non-profit organization. Through her internship, she acts as the liaison between FSU and Boys Town where she arranges events for the kids and organizes fundraising events and drives. Andrea is currently working on a luggage drive and a Black History Month Event for the kids, collaborating with the National Pan-Hellenic Council and the Black Student Union.
“Andrea is a role model within our chapter because she is one of the most hardworking people I’ve known,” said Allie C, VP External Affairs for Theta. “Balancing her position in Theta with academics, working part-time, and her community ambassador role inspires others to get involved and find their passion.”
Andrea and her friends all agree that she is a role model for the younger women in her sorority and after speaking to her it is easy to see why. She explained that while women in Kappa Alpha Theta are very passionate about service, especially for their philanthropy, she feels that members can get caught up in their day-to-day busy life and service can sometimes be put on the back burner. Her goal as service director is to motivate all members to be passionate about service and get into the community to make a difference. Friend Brittany B. and Allie C. who oversees Andrea in her position in Theta both agree she has done just that.
“The way Andrea talks about her service inspires everyone at Theta, and I can already see the difference she’s made in getting women more involved in the community,” said Brittany. “The way she gets so excited, and comes up with what seems like endless opportunities gets others excited about her service events too.” Andrea truly goes above and beyond with her position as service director in order to show the importance of giving back to the underserved to her sisterhood. From organizing multiple service events a week to creating tons of hands-on opportunities where Theta women are able to interact with members in their Tallahassee community, she is able to create a culture in her chapter where lifelong service comes naturally.
After graduation, Andrea hopes to have a career in law associated with service through pro-bono law and non-profit work. One day, Andrea hopes to create her own non-profit which has always been a big dream of hers. “I want to constantly make service a priority no matter what stage I am at in life,” said Andrea. “The opportunities are endless, and I am excited for the future.”