Becoming a Jayhawk: Maria Molinari on KU, Community and Leading with Heart
Maria Molinari didn’t plan to join a sorority when she transferred to KU in the middle of her freshman year. A spontaneous decision led her to discover a community rooted in service, shared values and leadership.
As the Vice President of Philanthropy and Community Service for the Panhellenic Association, Maria is helping shape how sorority members connect with each other, with Lawrence and with the world. We talked with her about her journey to KU, the importance of community engagement and the passion that drives her approach to service-focused leadership.
Q: Tell us a little about yourself and how you found your way to KU.
A: I transferred to KU in spring 2023, the second semester of my freshman year. I hadn’t been in a sorority at my previous university, but a friend from my campus ministry was going through informal recruitment and encouraged me to try it.
I didn’t have anything to lose, so I gave it a shot, and I fell in love with it. It’s such an accessible way to find like-minded individuals. I'm in Alpha Delta Pi, which is one of the Panhellenic sororities. These are people who share your values, academic goals and desire to be involved on campus. I saw sorority and fraternity life as an opportunity for leadership, service, academic support and real community.
Q: You’re now VP of Philanthropy and Community Service for the Panhellenic Association. What does that role involve?
A: I oversee all philanthropy and community service efforts for Panhellenic, and I collaborate with the other governing councils at KU. That includes scheduling all chapter philanthropy weeks to make sure each one gets time to shine without overlap. We want every chapter to have the space to host events, promote their cause and receive support from the broader SFL community.
Q: What drew you to take on leadership roles within sorority and fraternity life?
A: I’ve always been leadership driven. Even before I joined a sorority, I was looking for ways to serve and lead. My first role was actually being the chapter photographer, which connected to a hobby I had in high school. That opened the door to getting involved with our accessibility, health and safety teams.
Eventually, I wanted to do something that would challenge me and help me grow, and that’s how I ended up on the Panhellenic Exec Board. The beauty of sorority and fraternity life is that there’s space for everyone to get involved, no matter your major or future career.
Q: How do you see your leadership experiences tying into your future goals?
A: These roles definitely build your resume, but more importantly, they build your skills. The way I see it, we spend four years giving to our communities in college, but we also take away everything we learned.
Communication, leadership, collaboration — these are real-life job skills. I’m studying psychology and behavioral sciences, and I hope to pursue a master’s in social work. Leading philanthropy efforts has helped me develop the tools I’ll need in any people-focused career.
Q: What kinds of philanthropy events have you helped organize or support?
A: One thing we’ve noticed lately is that people really want hands-on, activity-based events. It’s one thing to donate online, but if you can attend a pancake breakfast, play in a basketball tournament or collect pop tabs for a competition, that face-to-face interaction makes it more meaningful. Events like that create a give-and-take experience, where people feel connected to the cause and to each other.
Q: What role does Panhellenic play in encouraging that community connection?
A: We strike a balance between giving chapters the freedom to run their events and making sure there’s structure and collaboration across the board. Each chapter gets a designated week for their philanthropy so they’re not competing for attention. And because we coordinate schedules, other chapters can show up and support each other. That sense of unity is huge.
Q: How do you all connect your efforts to the wider Lawrence community?
A: We’re very intentional about that. Panhellenic has its own beneficiary, which changes every few years to help us support a variety of causes. Right now, we’re partnered with the Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence.
But whether it’s the Lawrence Humane Society, Nature Center or other local nonprofits, the requirement is that they’re based right here in Lawrence. In fall 2024 alone, Panhellenic members completed 25,000 hours of community service and a lot of local organizations say the majority of their volunteers come from our chapters. That’s something we’re really proud of.
Q: It’s clear that this work means a lot to you personally. How do you think that will shape your future?
A: I love our philanthropies. I love community service very much, and I love talking about this subject. This is my favorite conversation that I have whenever people ask me about philanthropy, just because I've always had a service driven heart. The main reason I joined a sorority was for service opportunities and leadership and to get to do both at once is just such a blessing.
I'm hoping to do military social work, working with soldiers with PTSD, because it's another community that just needs love. Serving the world around us and having a global citizenship understanding, going overseas and serving other communities is something I’ve always been called to, especially now that I got to serve in this position. I'm already planning a yearlong mission trip after I graduate.