GAMMA PHI BETA
Meet our President
Hi everyone!
My name is Palmer McNeal, and I am beyond honored to serve as the 2024 Gamma Omicron Chapter President! I am a junior studying Political Science and Communications here at UK. I am from Jessamine County, Kentucky. In 2021, I joined the Gamma Omicron chapter through primary recruitment. Choosing GPhi is easily one of the best decisions I have ever made.
Joining the panhellenic community can be a nerve-racking endeavor. I remember being so nervous to go into the first house during recruitment, a chapter called Gamma Phi Beta. The minute I walked into those pink doors, I felt immediately calm and confident. I continued to go back to Gamma Phi, until I had to decide between my two remaining chapters. When I sat down to make my decision, I thought long and hard about which sorority I should put as my first choice. As I sat there going back and forth, it became increasingly clear I should choose Gamma Phi Beta.
I chose Gamma Phi because I saw a home where everyone was welcome. I looked around the room during every round of recruitment, and saw a diverse group of strong women. A place where everyone could be themselves, and where differences are celebrated. I knew that choosing Gamma Phi meant choosing a sisterhood full of acceptance and love.
I chose Gamma Phi Beta because of our core values. Gamma Phi Beta’s core values of love, labor, learning and loyalty are carried out everyday by our members. We fulfill labor through our dedication to bettering Gamma Omicron. Our chapter was re-installed at the University of Kentucky in 2019. It is so exciting to be able to play a part in forming traditions in a sisterhood. Over the past five years, , we have had amazing growth and success all throughout our sisterhood. Beginning in 2022, we have hosted a state-wide Founder’s Day Celebration annually. We invite members of the Morehead State Chapter, and any alumnae to our home to celebrate the anniversary of our sisterhood. We have won several Fraternity and Sorority Life awards, including the 2022 Dean’s Cup, and most recently Dean’s Cup for Most Improved Chapter.
Our sisters are extremely committed and high achieving women. We have members involved in countless campus activities, stretching from career based groups, to performing arts groups. Along with extracurriculars, our sisters are committed to their education, fulfilling our value of learning. In Fall of 2023, we had 53 sisters make the Dean’s list, with 23 of these receiving a 4.0 GPA. As sisters, we encourage each other to be the best students we can. This is also an example of how we fulfill our value of loyalty. Our sisters are loyal to each other, and to our sisterhood. Finally, we show love everyday in our sisterhood. Sisterhood to us means showing up, being there for each other, and accepting everyone for who they are. The Gamma Omicron chapter lives out our values of love, labor, learning and loyalty every day.
I chose Gamma Phi because our philanthropy was something I would be passionate about. I participated in Central Kentucky Girls on the Run as a young girl, and it was so impactful to me. Being hands on with this philanthropy is such an amazing opportunity for our members. We attend the semesterly 5K races, and volunteer wherever we can. This means getting up early to help with parking, cheering the girls on, and helping wherever else we can. In addition to this, we host three philanthropy events to fulfill our philanthropic mission of building strong girls. We host Moonball, Gamma Phi Beta’s signature philanthropy event. This is an event where campus and Greek organizations can make a team and participate in a volleyball competition for the chance to earn a monetary prize for their philanthropy. We also host Gamma Pie Beta, where we sell homemade pie and pizza to raise money. Finally, we host Strut for Strong Girls. We invite all participants of Girls on The Run Central Kentucky to our campus, and they have the chance to interact with strong women. We have craft tables, career tables, and a runway for the girls to walk down. As a sisterhood filled with confident women of character, we use our philanthropic partner to build strong girls.
While I was certain of many things when I chose Gamma Phi, there were so many things I could never have guessed would come out of joining a sisterhood. When I walked through the pink doors for the first time, I was a quiet, anxious freshman. I was going through recruitment as a resume builder, and to hopefully make some friends. I never saw myself serving in one leadership position, let alone three. If you had told freshman year me that she would be the chapter president, I never would have believed you. I am certain that the confident woman of character I am today is attributed to Gamma Phi Beta. It is our goal here at Gamma Phi that every woman walks out our doors a more confident woman than she walked in. I can confidently say that I am a success story of this goal.
Gamma Phi Beta marked the beginning of so many things for me. Because of the love, support and acceptance I have felt from my sisters, I continue to choose Gamma Phi everyday. For me, Gamma Phi Beta is so much more than choosing a sorority. It meant choosing friendship, opportunities, and growth. Leading this chapter is an incredible honor, and not one I take lightly. I am so thankful for the opportunity to serve the sisterhood that has given me so much.
I hope that every woman is able to find something as special as what I have found at 329 Columbia Avenue.
With love,
Palmer McNeal
Chapter President 2024
