Leading APO through a Pandemic

Alpha Beta President Recounts how it has been to lead the chapter through COVID-19 and its challenges

By: Katie Hickmann

Back in April, I was elected to be President the Alpha Beta chapter, a position I was excited to take on and had planned on holding for a while At that time, no one knew if we were returning to campus or how the fall semester would play out; we still don’t really understand it while it is happening. Since my summer did not quite look like I wanted, I dove even deeper into the position and organization. During the summer and into the semester, in cooperation with my exec boards, I planned for multiple possible outcomes including in person, virtual and hybrid. There was no outline for how to do this; it required the most creativity, patience, and persistence I could muster to keep our organization running and meaningful. I like to approach my life a little bit like evolution though, you either adapt or you get left behind.

The fall semester was not without its road bumps, as college students we adapted to opening up our laptops for things from class to meetings instead of jumping on the CATA bus or a brisk walk across University Park. However, I feel we as a chapter adapted as well as we could. We still had our weekly Wednesday meetings, we still welcomed new pledges, we still completed what service we could, and we still had fun, even if it had to be virtual. I am extremely thankful for all of our Alpha Beta members who were extremely patient in allowing us to roll with the punches that COVID-19 and its effects handed us.

As we enter the Spring semester, albeit virtual, I am hopeful for a good ending to my presidency in APO with the vaccine distribution beginning. We learned a lot of lessons from the past semester and almost the past year of this pandemic. However, I think one thing will be the main takeaway: The hardest times are when the service we provide is most needed. I am excited to see what we can accomplish in my last semester and where the world will be by the end.