Helen M.M. Webster- Alpha Rho, 1994

My path to joining Alpha Chi Sigma was a rather circuitous one, but I am glad I was persuaded to make the journey. Junior year, my friend Nanci and I opted to take swimming as an elective. In this class, we met another Chemistry major named Stephanie Lee. She asked if we were members of Alpha Chi Sigma. When we said no, she asked if we were going to pledge. We talked about it for most of the week. After one of the classes, Stephanie persuaded us to go sign up for the pizza party that would occur Thursday night (by persuaded, I mean marched us down the hill, and into the Alpha Chi Sigma lounge). When I showed up for the pizza party, I found that I already knew some of the Brothers, as well as finding my friend, Len Russo, among those interested in pledging. Even though Nanci ended up depledging, I quickly grew to love the organization, and was certain that it would hold a permanent place in my life. My collegiate Brothers are still some of my closest friends. I attended Maryland football games with them, and have been blessed to attend their weddings, as well as have them in mine. My best friend, who I've known since we were 5, Christie (Franklin) Foulke, pledged the semester after me. She ended up marrying one of my pledge Brothers, Russell Foulke. Stephanie Lee also married a Brother, Dr. Joon You.  And I did as well - Michael Webster.

As a collegiate, I held many offices - Historian, Master of Ceremonies, and Master Alchemist. I also had the good fortune of having a very active professional chapter nearby, Washington Pro. This professional chapter gave me direct insight into one of the ways I could be active with Alpha Chi Sigma after graduation. Alpha Rho also used to initiate members from two local chapters - Alpha Pi and Beta Upsilon, so I had some early exposure to interacting with those outside my "home chapter" as well. My greatest interest, though, came in the form of the District Counselor position. I loved the idea of being a professional member and being able to interact with all of the collegiate members. At the time, that was my main goal in Alpha Chi Sigma: to be a District Counselor.

Once I graduated, I became active with Washtington Pro, helped form Chesapeake Bay Pro, and attended events with Delaware Valley Pro. I also served as Alumni Secretary for Alpha Rho Chapter. I then helped with the reactivation of Nu Chapter at Penn State, the reactivation of Alpha Phi Chapter at George Washington University, and the installation of Gamma Omicron Chapter at Lehigh University. Most of my activities stayed within my District. This all changed though, due to Abbey (House) DeGraffenreid. She persuaded a group of collegiates and professionals to take a 15-passenger van to the 2000 Biennial Conclave in St. Louis, Missouri. Attending Conclave gave me a whole new perspective on how my involvement with Alpha Chi Sigma could grow and help others. Prior to this Conclave, I had run for Professional Representative (PR) twice and lost. At the end of Conclave, I found out that I would be serving the rest of Pete Yochim's term, as he had been elected to Supreme Council. This would also happen one other year before 2005, when I was elected outright. I served as a PR from 2005 until 2008, when my fraternal dream came true! I was appointed as the Atlantic Central District Counselor at the conclusion of the 2008 Biennial Conclave, when Dr. Randy Weinstein was elected to Supreme Council.

I thoroughly enjoyed serving as District Counselor, and all of my interactions with both the collegiate members and professionals in my district taught me many things. One of the major lessons I learned was that no one Brother's path is the same; we all have different interests, and come to different conclusions different ways. As an organization, we need to look at not only how we support our Brothers, but how our Brothers would like to support Alpha Chi Sigma.  You never know what someone may be good at, or what ideas are out there. It's always good to listen and ask.

I ended up serving as DC for four years. I was then elected to the Supreme Council in 2012 as the Grand Collegiate Alchemist. I was able to take what I had learned through my years of service in Alpha Chi Sigma, and apply it in a whole new way. Every day is a learning experience, and a way in which I can draw joy from my service to our organization. I enjoy working with our collegiate members and seeing how they grow.

My point is to encourage all Brothers to find their niche in Alpha Chi Sigma, and utilize it to its fullest. I am often asked why I stayed active after graduation. In a nutshell, it comes back to communication: I love talking to each and every Brother, and finding a way to make them feel useful and valued. We may not always agree, but every opinion will be respected and considered. I would not have the view of the world that I do without Alpha Chi Sigma.  

My professional career is geared toward communication as well. After undergrad, I went to work for a biotechnology company in Gaithersburg, MD called Kirkegaard and Perry Laboratories (KPL), in their R&D department. I loved the bench work, and working for a small company gave me the opportunity to learn many things. It was in doing this that I discovered that I could combine some of my favorite things into a career: science, helping others, and communication. All scientists have questions, and many would prefer to ask another scientist about them, rather than a non-scientist. Enter Technical Services. As a scientist, I help researchers who use our products to develop new assays, troubleshoot issues, and find new products for their research. My communication skills help those who may not be sure what they're looking for, as well as provide vital insight to our internal departments, as to what products are needed in the market. I get to spend my days talking about science and helping others fulfill their research dreams and goals.

In addition to my professional acitivites, I have an active personal life as well.  I teach recreational gymnastics for the City of Gaithersburg.  I have been married to my husband Michael for ten years (as of April 16th!).  Our 6-year old daughter, Caitlin Evelyn, keeps us on our toes and brightens our lives every day.  In my spare time, I love to swim, be outdoors, and socialize with Brothers all over the country.  I love meeting new people, and would love to hear from all of you.  Contact a Brother today; see how it brightens your day!