By: Alyssa Kiffer, Grand Worthy Advisor
Hello California Rainbow! My name is Alyssa Kiffer and I am so honored to be serving as the
Grand Worthy Advisor of Virginia Rainbow for the 2023-2024 Grand Year. I am thrilled to be returning to California this year, as I was a member of Petaluma-Marin Assembly! I was initiated on April 9, 2017 at California’s Grand Assembly, which was my mother’s 20-year Grand Officer reunion (she was Grand Confidential Observer in 1997).
A little about me… I am 18 years old and a senior in high school. I do not yet know where I will
be attending college, but I hope to major in Music Education and/or Global Studies. I am originally
from the west coast (I was born in the Seattle area), but I have lived in Virginia for well over half of my life. I currently reside in Manassas, which any history lovers may know from the First and Second
Battles of Bull Run in the American Civil War. I have been with Manassas Assembly since I joined their Pledge group in 2013 and served as Worthy Advisor during the height of the pandemic. In 2019-2020, I had the honor of serving as the Grand Representative from Virginia to California and had an absolute blast attending all of your virtual events. Here in Virginia, the Grand Worthy Associate Advisor advances to Grand Worthy Advisor the following year. I had the immense honor of being appointed GWAA at the 2022 Grand Assembly and planned my term during junior year of high school.
My theme for this Grand Year is “Navigating Life’s Journey”, which centers around the
challenges and milestones in one’s life and how we navigate them. In addition to learning crucial life
skills and developing further as leaders to aid us in our journeys, our “Awesome Opossum” Grand
Officers have also been navigating around the Commonwealth to enjoy many of the natural wonders
of Virginia. Another reason for choosing this term theme was to acknowledge how my Rainbow
journey has taken me across the country, and my appreciation for how each jurisdiction I have been a
part of has truly impacted the Rainbow girl that I am today. That is why I chose the Virginia Dogwood,
the California Poppy, and the Washington Rhododendron as my term flowers, to symbolize the
impact that each jurisdiction has had on shaping my Rainbow journey. This year, we are supporting
Stomp Out Bullying as our Grand Charity and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention as our
Grand Service Project, two organizations that are very near and dear to my heart. Although the topics
have been difficult for me to speak on so many times, if even one young girl, who is going through the
same things I have endured, can hear my message and find hope to keep going, I can feel that I have
truly made a difference. My most prominent goal for this term is to bring light to those who may need
it the most and to show our Rainbow love and support to sisters who may feel as if they are alone.
In closing, I cordially invite each and every one of you to attend our “Navigating Life’s Journey”
Sessions of the Grand Assembly of Virginia from June 28-30, 2024 in Harrisonburg, Virginia, located in
the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. We would absolutely love to see you there!
