C. Barnett:  Kayla, we are all anxious to hear about your first-quarter experience at UC Davis.  Please give some of the highlights.
Kayla Jefferson:  UC Davis has been a lot to take in, but I would consider myself adjusted at this point.  I’ve met a variety of people and even joined a club.   I presently have all “A’s” in my classes.  I’m happy with my progress and very excited about what I’ve been learning.  The workload is a little stressful, but it is manageable.  My favorite class would be my Seminar on the Crisis of the American Dream.  My most challenging class is Linguistics since it involves understanding different languages.

C. Barnett:  Do you feel you have everything you need to be competitive and do your best in your studies?
Kayla Jefferson:  Yes, I have all my books and everything necessary to successfully move ahead.  My roommates are really nice and we get along fine.  Making the social adjustment is part of this game and I’m happy to be in good company and have such great study partners for my roommates.  We hang out together when we have time.

C. Barnett:  Is college life what you expected?
K. Jefferson:  Actually, yes it is.  It is a lot of “adult-ing” and it’s fun.  But it requires a serious focus and concentration on school work.  On the weekends, I mostly stay in, study and complete homework assignments.  Occasionally, I will join the crowd and go to downtown Davis.    There is a Farmers’ Market that is really popular and it has a lot of eateries that I enjoy trying.

C.  Barnett:  How many roommates do you have and where are they from?
K. Jefferson:  I have two roommates.  One is from Victorville and the other is from San Diego.  So we are all California women!  We get along beautifully.  It’s been fun learning about each other and our different backgrounds.  We live on a “community floor” and it is representative of a great deal of ethnic diversity.  Interestingly, I only see a few African American students in my classes.
This quarter, I am taking 5 classes.  One of them is an African Verbal Arts class.  It is an interesting class taught by an Ugandan Professor.
All in all, this was a great beginning at college life.  It is the best of both worlds.  It is challenging, but I’m also having fun.  It is the start of a wonderful excursion.  Many thanks to you ladies of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Sigma Lambda Omega Chapter.  I truly appreciate the help you have given me to begin this exciting journey.

​It’s been more than 30 days since over 800,000 federal workers were put on furlough or are working without pay while facing the longest partial government shutdown in American history.  As the fight between the White House and Congress over border wall funding drags on, many Americans are wondering how they are going to make ends meet.
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​While we accomplished quite a bit in being of service to all mankind, we also celebrated another milestone in 2018. Our sorority sister Cynthia Barnett became “golden,” meaning she observed 50+ years of service to the sorority! What’s most impressive is that her years of service were uninterrupted.

​We recently sat down with Barnett to learn what she’s loved the most over the past five decades, what she’s looking forward to next and words of wisdom for the next generation of sorority members coming after her.
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​​On December 1, 2018 the Sigma Lambda Omega chapter hosted a caregiver appreciation event at the Lake Balboa Care Center, a convalescent home, under the leadership of Chapter President, Tracie Bowdoin. This service project highlighted Target 2’s emphasis on caring for the caregiver as well as nutrition and wellness. Chapter members gave heart healthy snacks to nearly 20 caregivers and provided them with a much needed break by playing games with nearly 50 residents and singing carols to uplift their spirits during this holiday season. All residents were also gifted pairs of fuzzy socks in a Christmas stocking, residents also received sugar free candy and treats as game prizes.

November is National Family Caregivers Month and it is a time to recognize and honor family members who sacrifice endlessly to care for their loved ones. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. has designated November 16th, 2018 as the AKA Caregivers’ Community Impact Day.

                   The Health Committee is encouraging all members of SLO share the following information to your family and friends throughout the month of October to increase the awareness, education, and prevention tips to mitigate the incidence and risk of breast cancer. Each year 24,000 women under the age of 45 are diagnosed with breast cancer and 3,000 will die. African American women under 35 years of age have breast cancer rates twice as high as Caucasian women of the same age and are three time as likely to die.  These risks are compounded as breast cancer is detected in late stage development and thus are more aggressive cases and harsher outcomes.  The increased risk for women 45 and under is compounded if,