Tara Hasenpflug (tara@hasenpflug.net) is the co-president of Alpha Chi Omega  at Oklahoma State with Katelynn Sexton Bass, as well as a full-time general physician. She uses the experiences, skills, and connections she made at Alpha Chi Omega every day. 

She looks back at what brought her to Alpha Chi Omega, and how important it has been to her career and lifestyle.

Hasenpflug said that she decided to pledge to Alpha Chi Omega because she wanted to meet new people. “I wanted to be involved on campus, do philanthropy, gain leadership experience— it seemed like a really good fit for all of those things.”

 She says, “we had a really great group of girls. We were really down to earth, we liked to do sports, but we also danced and sang. I think it was a really good blend of talented girls who were fun to be around.”

One of her best memories is of homecoming. “I always loved homecoming. We were partnered with a different fraternity each year, and competed in house decks, Harvest Carnival, Football Frenzy, and the Sign Competition. The year that we teamed up with Phi Delta Theta, we placed or won almost every category. It was a really good return for all the work that goes into it.” Even now, up to 50,000 alumni return to Stillwater for Homecoming Walkarounds each year to see the results. 

The community and leadership skills that Hasenpflug took away from her experience at Alpha Chi Omega still travel with her today. “As a physician I interact with multiple different people every day and have a large list of tasks that need completed. The leadership roles, team work for common goals, and time management are things that I gained from Alpha Chi that I use so much today.” 

She says that her friendships have continued over two decades. “I still have a lot of really good friends who are in the community, which is great. Without Alpha Chi Omega, I wouldn’t have grown as much in college as I did. I wouldn’t have been able to grow as a person and translate that into my future.”

She gives back because she believes in connecting with today’s students. “One thing that I think is super important is having people around that the collegiates can talk to and look up to. Having someone who is approachable to work though the all things that come up in college. That’s big.”

“I will say my role transitioned a little bit with what we needed to do from a social distancing standpoint at the beginning of COVID. Being on the housing corporation, I was a resource to the collegiates — there was an adult who knew what to do and how to handle it. Having my professional experience was really beneficial to the house in a period of unknown.”

As co-president of Alpha Chi Omega today, Hasenpflug gets the opportunity to interact with and impact today’s collegiates on a daily basis. Hasenpflug and Bass were in the same pledge class and have remained friends for 20 years. 

“We both work, and do what we can do. We wanted to be involved, but had very busy personal lives, and knew we couldn’t do it alone. So we are dividing and conquering tasks that come up, and relying on the rest of our board. From a woman's perspective, it’s hard to balance everything- but it doesn’t mean you have to give 100% all the time. You can still make an impact by being available when you are available.”

She says that the impact of the sorority spans generations. “We recently had our 75th anniversary celebration and had two founding members at the celebration. We heard how Alpha Chi impacted them. There were 260 former Alpha Chi Omega’s in attendance, and we were all there for the same reason- we all still want to make the house better.”

Hasenpflug strongly believes that alumnae should be involved with the current students at Alpha Chi Omega. “The more people we have involved, the more references in the community, positive adult interactions, whether from career advisement, fundraising advisement, life advisement perspective- the better it is. Unfortunately, college isn’t a bubble and a lot of their decisions have lifelong consequences. The more guidance we can provide to them, the more successful they will be in the long run. We always want more alumnae who want to give back, be resources or mentors and give back to the girls.”

Without Alpha Chi Omega, I wouldn’t have the social experience, leadership experience, and friendships that make me more of a person, not just a doctor.