The Emerald Newsletter | Kappa Delta Chi Sorority Winter/Spring 2018 | Page 19

Honoring a sister from the Kappa Delta Chi DC Alunmae Chapter

From the kdx_dc_alumnae instagram

In honor of Memorial Day, the KDChi (award winning!) DC Alumnae chapter is honored to give the spotlight to sister Catalina Rosales Gonzalez.

She is a Major in the United States Army, working as an Air Defense Artillery Officer. Her impressive list of accomplishments include being a Chief Fire Controller of a Brigade-sized element (5,000+ Soldiers), commanding her own outfit, a Patriot Missile battery of 120 Soldiers in support of Operation Enduring Freedom & defending Isa Airbase from missile attacks.

As Catalina's career in the Army progressed, she was later selected for the JCS/OSD/ARSTAF Fellowship (Joint Chiefs of Staff/Office of Secretary of Defense/Army Staff). This fellowship is regarded as a highly competitive fellowship that selects 20 officers a year for a Masters of Policy Management at Georgetown with a follow-on two-year assignment at the Joint Chiefs of Staff and then at the Army Staff where she currently works.

Catalina will soon be leaving DC, as she has been selected to be the Operations Officer for 1-7 ADA battalion in Fort Bragg, NC.

Your accomplishments speak for themselves! Thank you for your service to our country and we are honored to call you our sister! #ProfessionalLatinas #KDChi #DCKDChiAlumnaeChapter #USArmy

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As I begin to type this, the nervousness begins to set in. When I was initially asked to share my story I happily said yes, and then I remembered that the tone around LGBTQ issues isn’t always positive in our sisterhood. I also had to remind myself of the amazing support I have received from so many of my sisters locally and nationally. It reminded me to stay hopeful and mindful of the love and friendship that has always been extended to me through my friendships in Kappa Delta Chi. I hope that in sharing my journey, I may help many of you open your hearts to see that many times it is our differences that become the blessings in our lives.

I should begin by introducing myself. My name is Lizette Trujillo (maiden name Granillo) and I joined Kappa Delta Chi’s Delta Chapter (University of Arizona) in the fall of 1998. I held many positions and stayed involved locally through the years, helping and giving time whenever I could. In 2007, my husband and I were ready to start our family, and I was very pregnant during the planning of the Kappa Delta Chi National Conference that was being hosted by Delta. I was so excited because I was told that I was having a girl, and my dreams of having a legacy were finally coming true. My sisters were all so wonderfully supportive and excited to welcome my child to the world, and I was even more excited to share all of the things I loved with my future daughter.

The Emerald | Winter/Spring 2018

Advocate

by Lizette Granillo