It’s that time of the year again.
For the past 59 years, the Epsilon Xi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. has put on a debutante ball featuring girls in their junior or senior years in high school. The first informational meeting for interested girls was held on Saturday, August 10th at Malcolm X Library for the 2013-2014 debutante season.
The debutante ball is the culmination of months of workshops, practices, performances and fellowships geared towards the personal growth of the girls involved in the program. Each event is specifically designed to put the girls in a better position to succeed in the future as both students and young women through scholarships, mentorships, etiquette training and professional forums.
“Hopefully, we are creating an environment that’s very positive and promotes growth, internally and externally, for each young lady that we touch,” said Deborah Davis-Gillespie, the general chairperson for the 59th annual debutante ball. “It is our hope that they go out into society more confident and having learned a lot of things that will equip them to be positive contributors of society.”
Eighteen girls participated in the program last year and the process is already underway to put together this season’s crop ofdebutantes. The members of the graduate chapter use interest meetings like the one held on Saturday as well as personal relationships to put together each season’s roster of debs.
“We look for someone who is motivated to make a difference in the world and give back,” said Tara Cador, the general co-chairperson of the debutante ball.
Each interest must go through an application process and meet all of the prerequisite requirements before becoming a deb. Boys are also involved in the ball portion of the program as escorts, with the girls choosing their own escort from their friends and families or being assigned an escort by the AKAs.
The relationships fostered between the debs themselves and the escorts are one of the strong suits of the program. The friendships and bonds built last well beyond the completion of the debutante season.
“It’s about presenting a realistic picture on what it takes to be successful,” Cador said. “And it’s not just monetarily, sometimes it’s just being a good person and being able to pass down those values to other people.”
Fifty-nine years strong and the AKAs are still taking girls and helping turn them into young women through the debutante ball and all that it encompasses. That stretch of time has built a legacy that Epsilon Xi Omega AKAs can be proud they’ve built.
“It means we’ve been here a long time,” Davis-Gillespie said, “and hopefully, we’ve made a difference.” If you’re interested in being a debutante for the 2013-2014 season, visit www.akasandiego.com to download and complete your application online. (Print application for submission). Application Deadline is September 17, 2013
Qualifications: High moral and ethical character, Academically motivated—preferred GPA of 3.0 or higher, Good Citizenship (No “N”s or “U”s), Between 16 and 19 years of age at time of presentation; Junior or Senior in High School. For more information contact Phillis Denmon, Applications Chairman, a 619-557-4959 or [email protected] .
