Kappa Gamma Delta (ΚΓΔ) is a professional college sorority for women studying medicine and related professions.

Kappa Gamma Delta
ΚΓΔ
Coat of Arms of the Kappa Gamma Delta Sorority
FoundedMarch 3, 1994; 30 years ago (1994-03-03)
University of California, Davis
TypeProfessional
AffiliationIndependent
StatusActive
EmphasisPre-health
ScopeNational
MottoService to Humanity
PillarsSisterhood, Professionalism, and Service to Humanity
Colors  Burgundy,   Forest green
SymbolCaduceus, wings, and the female symbol
FlowerWhite Rose
Chapters6
NicknameKGD
HeadquartersOne Shields Avenue
CSI Box #405

Davis, California 95616
United States
Websitewww.kappagammadelta.org

History

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Founding

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Kappa Gamma Delta began during the winter quarter of 1993 at the University of California, Davis when students Charlene Tran and Marge Lee envisioned a professional sorority that would provide support for women during their premedical studies and graduate school. Tran and Lee were supported in their efforts by Sigma Mu Delta, a pre-health fraternity.

The first meeting was held on March 3, 1994, in the lounge of Temescal apartments in Davis. With its founding, Kappa Gamma Delta became the first premedical sorority in the United States of America.[1]

The founding group included these twelve women:

  • Maricris Belisario
  • Chong Choe
  • Mindy Compton
  • Pamela Hy
  • Marge Lee
  • Kathy Pham
  • Jennifer Skinkle Schwartz
  • Charlene Tran
  • Gwen Tran
  • Aileen Tieu
  • Carolyn Trieu
  • Julie Tse

Its constitution was affirmed on May 30, 1994.[1] The sorority song and oath were adopted on June 10, 1994.

Expansion

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In the Spring of 2002 Kappa Gamma Delta formed its Epsilon chapter at the University of California, Berkeley.[2] In the winter of 2006 Zeta chapter was formed at the University of California, Santa Cruz.[3]

In April 2023 the Eta chapter of Kappa Gamma Delta was formed at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, marking the organization's first expansion outside of California.[4] This milestone, achieved by Haley Gross,[4] appears to have reignited Kappa Gamma Delta's ambition for growth and expansion, as, building on this momentum, the sorority soon established two additional chapters outside of California: the Theta chapter at Michigan State University founded by Rachel Roberts[5] and the Iota chapter at DePaul University founded by Elise Villwock and Wafa Choubka.[6][7]

Symbols

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The Kappa Gamma Delta motto is "Service to Humanity". Its pillars are Sisterhood, Professionalism, and Service to Humanity. Its colors are burgundy and forest green.[8] Its symbols are the caduceus, wings, and the female symbol. Its flower is the white rose.[8] The sorority's nickname is KGD.[8]

Kappa Gamma Delta's first Coat-of-Arms consisted of an open book, a haystack, the sorority flower, the female symbol, and an Oil lamp. The haystack was later replaced by a torch surrounded by several rings.

Activities

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As stated in the individual chapter's constitutions, the chapters all focus on hosting social, service, and academic events to support members throughout their undergraduate studies. [9][10]

The sorority participates in service projects such as the Bay to Breakers and various symposia such as "Life During and After Medical School. Its philanthropies vary by chapter and include Relay for Life and the Bone Marrow National Registry.[8][7]

Chapters

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Chapter list from the national website. Active chapters are noted in bold, and inactive chapters are noted in italics. [1]

Chapters Charter date and range Institution Location Status Reference
Alpha March 3, 1994 University of California, Davis Davis, California Active [11]
Beta Unassigned [12]
Gamma Unassigned [12]
Delta Unassigned [12]
Epsilon 2002 University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, California Active [13]
Zeta 2006 University of California, Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, California Active [14]
Eta April 2023 University of Miami Coral Gables, Florida Active
Theta 2023 Michigan State University East Lansing, Michigan Active [7]
Iota 2023 DePaul University Chicago, Illinois Active

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "ΚΓΔ". ΚΓΔ. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  2. ^ Berkeley Kappa Gamma Delta web site
  3. ^ Santa Cruz Kappa Gamma Delta web site
  4. ^ a b The University of Miami Kappa Gamma Delta web site
  5. ^ "KGD MSU Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  6. ^ "KGD Depaul Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  7. ^ a b c "Kappa Gamma Delta". Kappa Gamma Delta Theta Chapters. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
  8. ^ a b c d "Kappa Gamma Delta | CSI". Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  9. ^ "UMiami Involve". auth.miami.edu. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  10. ^ "MSU Involve". idp.idm.msu.edu. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  11. ^ Alpha chapter portal at UC Davis, accessed 27 Mar 2021.
  12. ^ a b c ΚΓΔ's website had previously noted a Beta chapter at Berkeley, without further information, but this information has been removed. According to a good-faith edit on 3 Oct 2024, an Anon editor clarified that the Beta name was skipped, as was the Gamma and Delta, citing the fact that these latter two letters were in the sorority's name. Thus the second chapter founded was Epsilon chapter. They noted this information was found in the Epsilon chapter website.
  13. ^ Epsilon chapter portal at UC Berkeley, accessed 27 Mar 2021.
  14. ^ Zeta chapter listed among the other Greeks at UC Santa Cruz, accessed 27 Mar 2021.
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