Stephen East

FORMER NUMBER I

NOTABLE

• Successfully led chapter through rebuilding phase
• Drastically improved relationship with the National Administrative Office, volunteer leadership, and university administration
• Led the chapter to increase its recruitment numbers by more than 40%
• Led the chapter to raise $20,000 for the Independence Fund, donating a track chair to a severely wounded veteran

Was there one substantive thing that KA provided to you? What do your future plans hold?
The most substantive thing that KA provided me with roles that KA offered such as recruitment chairman a group of 100+ individuals that come from all different backgrounds, being challenged with the task of communicating effectively with all of those individuals, managing the fi nances of the chapter, planning large events, recruiting new members year after year, communicating with entities outside of the chapter, and most of all remembering the overall goal of ensuring the everlasting prosperity of my chapter for years after my active membership. Being able to see the resemblance of running a chapter to running a business helped me excel during my time in KA, always trying to understand where things went wrong and how I can mitigate those issues in the future. My skills in communication, leadership, networking, organization, work ethic all increased tenfold during my time in KA, and I have never lost my curiosity to learn. The training the KA gave me will be invaluable as I move forward in life and enter the business world. As I move forward in life and complete my Master of Professional Accountancy at Mississippi State University, I will begin work as an Audit Associate for KPMG in their Memphis, Tennessee, office. KA has been extremely helpful to me on this career path as I believe the vast majority of my experiences gave me an advantage during job interviews. I had countless situations where I could explain how I worked with a group to complete a task or how I overcame adversity and saw my goals through to the end. Not only that, but I also learned how to build a network and work with many different types of people, which will certainly be helpful in the real world. At the 2019 Convention in New Orleans, I even had the opportunity to network with successful KA alumni who work in various industries, thus furthering my network and learning more about possible career paths in my future.

COMMENTS
“Stephen did a great job managing the chapter through the ups and downs of his term. Stephen was always levelheaded when addressing high stress situations. He advocated for his members appropriately in various instances during his term. He was able to challenge ideas and ways of doing things to help move the chapter forward as well the Fraternity & Sorority Community at Mississippi State.” — John Michael VanHorn, Assistant Director, Fraternity & Sorority Life at Mississippi State