By Gracie Ferrell, News Editor
Kathryn Moore, junior public relations major, was meeting with her parents to have lunch and pick up a TV when she got the news she won Kappa Delta sorority’s M. Amanda Gordon Scholarship — a first for Union’s Zeta Beta chapter.
“She’s not going to admit that it’s a big deal just because she is humble, but it really is,” said Hillary Craft, junior media communications major and president of the Zeta Beta chapter of Kappa Delta Sorority.
More than 230,000 women are members of the Kappa Delta Sorority nationwide. Thirty-nine women receive awards from the organization each year.
Moore said she knew her chances of winning were slim.
However, she applied because she hoped to be an inspiration to her chapter while serving as Zeta Beta’s academic excellence and communications chairs.
“I wanted to do it for the chapter and to encourage the women that if I can win a scholarship, (they) all can win a scholarship, too,” Moore said.
The M. Amanda Gordon Scholarship is awarded to three collegiate members of Kappa Delta on the basis of academic excellence and service to their community, chapter and university.
While serving her sorority, Moore is also the secretary of the Public Relations Student Society of America, a staff writer for the Cardinal & Cream and a Focus leader.
“She worked really hard last semester to get the grades, and she is involved in several different things,” Craft said. “It’s hard to balance a schedule of social, academic and other responsibilities of just being a college student.
“I’m really proud of her for being able to do all of that and at the same time maintain that balance between academic and social responsibilities. It says a lot about her character and the way she views her priorities.”
The women of Zeta Beta chapter, founded on Union’s campus in 1990, rallied around Moore after she heard the news about receiving the scholarship.
“Everybody is really excited,” Craft said. “She really didn’t expect to get it just because so many people applied. Everyone here was really excited because no one from our chapter has won before.”
