Kappa Gamma Delta () is a

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who work (human activity), works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the partic ...

college

sorority In North America, fraternities and sororities ( and ) are social clubs at colleges and universities. They are sometimes collectively referred to as Greek life or Greek-letter organizations, as well as collegiate fraternities or collegiate sorori ...

for women studying

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

and related professions.

History

Founding

Kappa Gamma Delta began during the winter quarter of 1993 at the

University of California, Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Davis, California, United States. It is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University ...

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. The founding group included these twelve women: Its constitution was affirmed on May 30, 1994. The sorority song and oath were adopted on June 10, 1994.

Expansion

In the Spring of 2002 Kappa Gamma Delta formed its ''Epsilon chapter'' at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

. In the winter of 2006 ''Zeta chapter'' was formed at the

University of California, Santa Cruz The University of California, Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz or UCSC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Cruz, California, United States. It is one of the ten campuses in the University of C ...

. In April 2023 the ''Eta chapter'' of Kappa Gamma Delta was formed at the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private university, private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. , the university enrolled 19,852 students in two colleges and ten schools across over ...

Coral Gables, Florida Coral Gables is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The city is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida and is located southwest of Greater Downtown Miami, Downtown Miami. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

, marking the organization's first expansion outside of California.The University of Miami Kappa Gamma Delta web site
/ref> This milestone, achieved by Haley Gross, 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 and the ''Iota chapter'' at DePaul University founded by Elise Villwock and Wafa Choubka.

Symbols

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. Its symbols are the

caduceus The caduceus (☤; ; , ) is the staff carried by Hermes in Greek mythology and consequently by Hermes Trismegistus in Greco-Egyptian mythology. The same staff was borne by other heralds like Iris (mythology), Iris, the messenger of Hera. The s ...

, wings, and the

female symbol Gender symbols on a public toilet in Switzerland, alt=Image shows male and female symbols incised deeply A gender symbol is a pictogram or glyph used to represent sex and gender, for example in biology and medicine, in genealogy, or in the sociol ...

. Its flower is the white rose. The sorority's nickname is KGD. Kappa Gamma Delta's first

Coat-of-Arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achiev ...

consisted of an open book, a

haystack Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticated ...

, the sorority flower, the female symbol, and an

Oil lamp An oil lamp is a lamp used to produce light continuously for a period of time using an oil-based fuel source. The use of oil lamps began thousands of years ago and continues to this day, although their use is less common in modern times. The ...

. The haystack was later replaced by a torch surrounded by several rings.

Activities

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. The sorority participates in service projects such as the

Bay to Breakers Bay to Breakers is an annual road running, footrace in San Francisco, California typically on the third Sunday of May. The phrase "Bay to Breakers" reflects the fact that the race starts at the northeast end of the downtown area a few blocks fro ...

and various symposia such as "Life During and After Medical School. Its philanthropies vary by chapter and include

Relay for Life Relay For Life is a community-based walkathon and the largest fundraising event of the American Cancer Society (ACS). Teams of people, varying in size, alternate between walking laps and interacting with other aspects of the fundraiser. Each year ...

and the Bone Marrow National Registry.

Chapters

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

References

External links

* {{Authority control Student organizations established in 1994 1994 establishments in California Professional medical fraternities and sororities in the United States