Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
KDE ISU
KDE ISU
Original photo by Molly Smith
Illinois State | Life > Experiences

Get Involved: KDE @ ISU

Molly Smith Student Contributor, Illinois State University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Illinois State chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Calling all education majors, I have just the RSO (registered student organization) for you! Kappa Delta Epsilon at Illinois State University is an honorary professional development fraternity for all education majors. Because this RSO is considered a fraternity, that means that it’s Co-ED, so any gender can join.

There’s a wide variety of majors in KDE, including early childhood, elementary, and secondary education. We seem to be lacking in the middle-level department, so please come join if you’re interested! There are also currently a lot of women in the RSO, so if you’re a male educator and want to make friends with other educators, this is the perfect place to do it.

I have had the honor and privilege of being a part of this organization since I transferred to ISU in the Fall of 2023 as a sophomore. It was a great way for me to meet friends who were also education majors who were outside of my content area.

KDE ISU members
Original photo by Molly Smith

Something amazing about KDE is that during All-Member meetings, the executive board will bring in guest speakers who are a part of the education community to talk about their experience in the field and are open to questions, comments, and concerns. During the 2025-2026 school year, I had the opportunity to serve on the executive board as the recording secretary for the fall semester and as media relations for the spring. It was an incredible experience where I was able to meet and interact with all of our members and grow closer to them and be on the inside of the planning of our social events.

The board does an amazing job at planning fun events that allow for any member to get involved. In the past, there has even been at least one social, a fitness class, that has been held at the Campus Recreation center for a fun way to get out and be active. Many times, socials consist of fun crafts. There’s at least one social per semester that is held for volunteer hours for members. In the spring members were asked to make Valentine’s for a local nursing home for the residents. In other semesters, members have made tie blankets for children suffering after natural disasters.

There are a few requirements to joining KDE listed below:

  • Have Sophomore status (or 30 credit hours)
  • Be a year away from student teaching
  • Maintain a 3.0 or above GPA
  • Attend all meetings
  • Attend 2 PNM (potential new member) socials
  • Attend 2 All-Member socials
  • Submit 5 volunteer hours

If you have any further questions about KDE or how to join, contact the executive board through their website at https://kappadeltaepsilon.weebly.com/ or via Instagram @kde_isu

Molly Smith

Illinois State '26

Hi! My name is Molly Smith and I am a Senior English Education major at Illinois State University.

I am originally from East-Central Illinois. In my free time I love to bake, go on walks, read, and watch tv shows!