Name: Syeda Showkat
Age: 21
Year: 2015
Hometown: Bronx , New York
Major: International Studies
Activities: Alpha Sigma Tau, Discrimination Advisor, Project Open Voices, Kenyon Students for Justice in Palestine
Power animal: A fierce lemur.
You are the president of Kenyon’s only national sorority, Alpha Sigma Tau (Editor’s note: congratulations!). What was the process of going national like?
When we started off, we were ten women who wanted to start a national organization. We didn’t know what to do exactly, but then we started working with Christina and the SAO. We started by creating a constitution and founding our core values and what we believed in.
This year, we felt ready! We have a strong group of dedicated women. We put our name on the national bulletin that goes out to all of the sororities and expressed interest in going national. By the time we came back this semester, we learned that Alpha Sigma Tau was very interested, and so we got to know them better. They work with many small campuses and we feel they really understand what the liberal arts look like. For example, they have other organizations in Pennsylvania, but we’re the first in Ohio. They’ve been great at helping us with this transition and understanding who we are and truly helping us the best they can.
Has it been difficult to transition from identifying as Kappa Sigma Alpha to Alpha Sigma Tau?
We talked to Ashley, our advisor, about it a lot – transitioning is one of the most difficult and weird things to do. We were Kappas for so long and now we are changing our name. Like, it was always about Kappa pride!
But it’s going really well. It’s a slow transition, but we’re trying to rip the Band-Aid off as quickly as possible! It’s all about taking the time to get used to it, I guess.
Alpha Sigma Tau aims “to promote the ethical, cultural, and social development of its members.” What other traits do you hope to inspire in your sisters and future pledges?
Greek life in general is about being dedicated to service and creating support networks in society.
One of the things all of us [Alpha Taus] are passionate about is creating dialogue and discourse in this campus. One of our prerequisites is actually that you are involved in other facets of Kenyon life. A lot of us care about social justice. I’m glad that as individuals and as an organization, we’re focused on creating a much more open space on campus.
On a national level, Alpha Tau’s are very involved in Habitat for Humanity. We try to promote to excellence, service and awareness.
If Jeni’s made an ice-cream flavor based on Alpha Sigma Tau, what would it be and why?
We would be mint chocolate chip with salted caramel wafer bits and marshmallows mixed in! It’s the perfect combination between the Alpha Tau colors [emerald green and gold]. Also, because mint chocolate chip is my favorite flavor.
If you could invite any three celebrities to pledge, who would they be and why?
I’m obsessed with the Kardashians, so I’d ask Khloe Kardashian for sure! Janelle Monáe, because she creates the whole ‘I’m fierce and I know it’ look about her. Also, Rihanna. I love her, and she’s also fierce. Honestly I just love fierce, talented, multi-faceted celebrities.
Finally, a personal question: what is one thing on your Kenyon bucket list?
I want to start a band! I want to have the experience of feeling like a rock star and then moving on with my life. Let’s pop some champagne and then peace out.