WS Chronicle

In above photo: (L-R): Saturday’s July 25, National Collegiate Chapter of the Year (medium sized chapter) award and two national program awards with National Second VP  Taylor McCain (before she was elected on Wednesday), South Atlantic Regional (NC, SC and VA) Director Andrea Jeffries and Kappa Omicron’s Alexis Robinson. (Submitted Photo)

Special to The Chronicle

The Kappa Omicron Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was named National Collegiate Chapter of the Year (medium-size chapter) and South Atlantic Region Collegiate Chapter of the Year during the 52nd National Convention in Houston, Texas.

In addition, one of its members was elected to the highest office a collegiate can hold in the sorority: national second vice president.

Taylor McCain, a senior journalism major at UNC-Chapel Hill from Greensboro, will serve as national second vice president for two years, helping to lead chapters across the United States and eight international locations.

“Since birth, it has been instilled in me to be a leader and to stand up for what I believe in,” McCain said. “I am elated that I have been chosen to serve as the national second vice president of my illustrious organization.  With this position, I can now take my leadership skills and my passion for serving others to the next level, and I am truly looking forward to the journey ahead.”

McCain created the platform “Taylor MADE, Suited to Serve” with a play on a tailor’s shop.

Her goals include building on the sorority’s use of social media in recent campaigns, strengthening the sorority’s international awareness program, creating a networking system to benefit from professional talents within the sorority across the world and improving the transition of collegiate members to alumnae chapters.

The convention was July 23-29 and attracted more than 14,000 delegates.

The awards for UNC’s Kappa Omicron at the national convention capped off a successful year with 40 programs conducted by chapter members.

Other highlights included winning the UNC- Chapel Hill Homecoming Step Show and Davidson College Step Show.

Also, members won two grants for next year’s domestic violence work.

And Kappa Omicron had one of its most successful fundraising efforts in history for its “A Red Carpet Affair:  40th Annual Sweetheart Ball.”

In April, the UNC Chapel Hill Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life recognized Kappa Omicron at its annual Chapter Excellence Awards with the Membership Development Award and the National Pan-Hellenic Council Chapter Progress Award.

In addition, the chapter’s primary adviser, Linda Douglas, was named NPHC Advisor of the Year.

“It’s exciting to see the students recognized on the campus, regional and national levels,” said Douglas, who is a member of the Raleigh Alumnae Chapter.  “This past year’s president, Erica Bluford, set a goal for Kappa Omicron to become Chapter of the Year, and she never stopped encouraging the members to reach that goal. These students deserve this honor, because they go above and beyond with every project they undertake.”

Other advisers are Ishna Hall of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Alumnae Chapter and Wanda Page of the Durham Alumnae Chapter.

In addition to being named Chapter of the Year on both the national and regional levels at the Convention, Kappa Omicron won two national program awards, three regional program awards and was recognized as a Project 13 Chapter for its work with March of Dimes and the St. Jude “Give Thanks” Walk.