WASHINGTON — Earlier this year the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated (AKA) celebrated their 109th anniversary. The sorority is one of the “Divine Nine” historically African-American fraternities and sororities. AKA was founded by nine Howard University students in 1908. Less than four miles away from the sorority’s Alpha Chapter is the Omicron Pi Chapter of Georgetown University, where AKA member Mia Campbell embodies Alpha Kappa Alpha’s mission of being of “Service to all Mankind”.
Photo Courtesy of Mia Campbell: Mia Campbell, a pre-med student at Georgetown
University is trying to make a difference in the lives of others-
Mia Campbell is a junior pre-med student at Georgetown University from Valley Stream, New York, majoring in biology and global health. She became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha in the spring of 2016. She currently serves as 1st Vice President of the Omicron Pi Chapter of AKA.
Campbell has her hands full with her position, but wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I’m in charge of planning programs for the academic year, making sure they are delegated to people. After our events, we [Omicron Pi Chapter of AKA] assess them and see how impactful they were for the community,” said Campbell.
AKA seeks to serve the community in five areas: educational enrichment, health promotion, family strengthening, environmental ownership, and global impact.
“AKA is all about working with people and the community. National leadership is very intentional about targets they want to hit with our service,” she said.
Campbell has always excelled in her various positions at Georgetown. She served on the Provost’s Committee for Diversity during the 2015 term, which serves to address issues facing students of color on campus. During her tenure with the committee, Georgetown’s Main Campus Executive Faculty voted in favor of adding a diversity requirement to the core curriculum for all university students.
“Mia was instrumental in shifting in Georgetown curriculum and culture. Her work with that environment was beyond impactful. She jumped in freshman year, ready to work and shake up that status quo. And she continues to do such. She’s awesome,” said Esther Owolabi, a 2015 Georgetown graduate who served on the committee with Campbell.
Georgino Joasil, student at Georgetown and friend of Campbell, also had kind words to say about her. “There isn’t a person who comes in contact with Mia and has come away with a negative experience. Mia is very genuine and welcoming. The aura she gives off is wonderful,” he said. Joasil and Campbell are both residents of The Black House at Georgetown, which seeks to foster a strong community among students of color at the university.
The Omicron Pi Chapter of AKA has done numerous events this academic year including an HIV/AIDS walk, volunteering at food banks, and holding an array of drives to collect food and clothes for various homeless shelters in the DC Metropolitan area. Recently, they prepared bags of food for transitionary housing in DC.
“On MLK day, we put together over 800 bags of food for transitionary housing. And this weekend, there is a Model UN conference. We’ve been preparing the students at Theodore Roosevelt High School in Petworth for it. This is their club’s first year. My line sister Kay Threatt has been a great help with them, as she did Model UN in high school,” said Campbell.
Though the Omicron Pi Chapter has an active presence in the community and the lives of those they help, Campbell knows that there is always room for improvement. “Going forward, I want to streamline the program planning process and do a better job of partnering with community-based organizations,” said Campbell. You can read more about Campbell and the Omicron Pi Chapter of AKA here.
