Meet Keeley Van Antwerp: Our February Leading Woman

Name: Keeley Van Antwerp

Major: Accounting

Hometown: Chesterfield, Missouri

What are your career/life goals? I want to start out my career in public accounting with a Big Four firm, but eventually my goal is to be the CFO of a Fortune 500 company. As a successful businesswoman, I would love to create a program for mentoring young women interested in the fields of accounting and finance.

What is your favorite part about Accounting? Tell us about why you chose your major? I chose Mizzou partly based on its prestigious accounting program, but I had never actually taken an accounting course prior to my freshman year. I had taken a few business courses in high school and had always loved math, so the natural union between the two was a major in accounting! After taking multiple accounting courses, I definitely chose the right major. I love my classes and professors, and I genuinely enjoy the material I’m learning.

Why did you decide to get involved in Alpha Kappa Psi? My first semester freshman year, I had not yet joined Theta, and I wanted to get involved on campus. The first place I looked was the business school. I went to Clubbin’ Night (basically our version of the involvement fair) and talked to quite literally every club in the business school. I was looking for a group of passionate, involved, and driven individuals that would inspire me and provide a group of like-minded friends. I rushed AKPsi (a co-ed Professional Business Fraternity on campus) and immediately fell in love with the organization. I took on a leadership role within my pledge class and ran for an executive board position after my pledge semester. I have been on exec ever since in various roles. Ever since the first rush week event for AKPsi, I knew I wanted to eventually be Vice President of Membership. My passion for this organization and the people in it only grew, and I wanted the opportunity to make a tangible difference in our chapter and inspire the next generation of business leaders. I want to inspire our pledges and be a mentor figure just as the older members were for me.

What is your favorite part about Alpha Kappa Psi? My favorite part about Alpha Kappa Psi is the brotherhood. More specifically, I love that our members make friends with people outside of their own pledge classes. This gives our organization a unique dynamic that I especially appreciate. While a lot of my best friends are in my pledge class, some of them are juniors, seniors, or now alumni. This ties into why I love my position as Vice President of Membership. I am lucky to be doing this role alongside the other VPM, Jake Thompson, one of my close friends. This position allows me to be a mentor to the future leaders of our chapter and Mizzou, while sharing my passion for this organization.

What other organizations or hobbies are you passionate about? Outside of organizations, my biggest passion is tennis. If you know me, I am almost always talking about Theta, AKPsi, or tennis. I’ve played tennis ever since I was a little kid and it has been one of the most important parts of my life.

How have your experiences in Theta changed you? My experiences in Theta have taught me that I should always chase my dreams. Watching all of the older members pursue their dreams and be constantly supported by our chapter is so inspiring.

What does Theta mean to you? Theta means a constant support system. I love that all the women in Theta have such different interests, but ultimately we are all driven by the same set of values. Even though I do not live in the house with the majority of my member class, my relationships with these women have not been affected. I can always go to any of my sisters for advice and can count on them to be my biggest cheerleaders in any venture I undertake.

Do you have a specific favorite Theta memory? My favorite Theta memory was the day I received my COB bid. I called my two friends that were already members and met them at the house to hangout after signing my bid. My friend Isabelle gave me a house tour and everybody popped out of their rooms to say hi and congratulations! One of the older girls I had met once ran down the hall to hug and congratulate me. This is when I knew I was at home, when girls I had never met were so excited to get to know me!