A Southern Miss Delta Gamma is taking an extracurricular and turning it into a career. Elena Lofton, a senior Spanish major, has been chosen as a national consultant for the Delta Gamma sorority.

“I have wanted to apply to be a consultant since my sophomore year,” Lofton said. “I was so inspired by the women that traveled to our chapter. They represented what a Delta Gamma should be, and I looked up to them so much.”

Lofton is one of 11 women chosen from Delta Gamma chapters all across the country to become consultants for the upcoming year. As a consultant, much of Lofton’s job will include being a liaison between the Delta Gamma chapters and the national executive office.

“I will meet with various officers and assist them any way that I can,” Lofton said. “I will also assist the chapters with officer transitioning, recruitment and other issues as needed. I will also do presentations on various topics that are relevant to chapter life such as leadership skills and risk management.”

Lofton has been a member of Delta Gamma since her freshman year and is a member of many other organizations, such as Southern Style and Student Government Association. Lofton also served as the 2014 president of the College Panhellenic Council at Southern Miss.

“I’ve known Elena since I joined the chapter (in 2013),” said sophomore public relations major Hannah Haulsee.

“Elena leads our chapter by serving others, but also with her enthusiasm for Greek unity here at Southern Miss. She is the first to congratulate our members (when) they do something great and the first to volunteer when our members need help.”

Members of the entire Greek community at Southern Miss have congratulated Lofton on her new position, speaking encouraging words of how much she was worked for the university and Greek Life.

“I consider it a huge honor to be selected for this position,” Lofton said. “I hope to work to better the organization that has helped to make me the woman and leader that I am today.”

According to the Delta Gamma website, the sorority was founded in 1873 in Oxford, Mississippi, at the Lewis School for Girls by Anna Boyd, Mary Comfort and Eva Webb to create a club of mutual helpfulness. They chose the Greek letters Delta and Gamma because of their desire to “Do Good,” which remains Delta Gamma’s motto.

Delta Gamma consultants begin their duties in June of this year and serve until May 2016.