Coming into college, I was as frazzled as any other freshman. I had moved a lot in my life so I had become accustomed to having to make new friends. But college is different, because everyone is trying to make new friends. In the first few weeks, or even months, of college, you meet a ton of people you call friends. People on your floor, in your classes, you sign up for 1001 clubs at your campus club extravaganza (campusfest as we call it here), and your Facebook blows up with friend requests and your twitter following doubles.
I was one of those people. My freshman year roommate was random, but we clicked super well, and were instantly great friends, and I don't think I would've made it freshman year without her. My best friend from high school also went to college with me (not on purpose though), but I was looking for something more; sisterhood. Yes, my APO journey begins when I rushed a sorority.
I'll save the details, because that's another story all together. But my freshman year put me in a dark place. I didn't find the sisterhood I had hoped for, and had been through a lot in my personal life. I felt hopeless and homeless going into my sophomore year, because although it was a rough sisterhood, I still knew I could knock on the door to my sorority house and my sisters would be there for me, even if they didn't like me.
But, I had heard about APO, and figured it was my only option; once being initiated into a Panhel sorority, you couldn't join another, and to be honest, I didn't want to.
So I went to my first recruitment event; which was desserts with APO. Classic, really, and always my favorite event. As soon as I walked in, I felt a sense of belonging, as if this is where I needed to be. I looked around the room at the diversity of people, tall and short, boy and girl, different races and religions, all laughing and legitimately enjoying being with one another. At the risk of sounding dramatic, I had never seen anything like it. And I haven't since. Thinking about it now, I'm tearing up, because I knew at that moment I had found my true home. After the initial presentation of what the requirements are, all that, some brothers shared stories of APO, and I was jealous of the experiences they had all had already, while I felt as though I was already wasting my time in college. I left that room that night feeling something I hadn't felt before, true brotherhood and as I would later learn and appreciate as a historian, I was surrounded by men and women that had a passion to change the world.
Now, Alpha Phi Omega is a coed service fraternity, with it's legacy being built on our founder's idea that war is not the answer to the problem, and it is important to hold its members on a high standard of manhood, serving the world and bringing peace to all. It sounds super dramatic, but I tried to sum up a lot about our founding very quickly. Up until pledging, I had never done a lick of community service. I participated in Dance Marathon my freshman year, standing for 32 hours, but that was it. In my 19 years alive, I had only done 32 hours of service, which looking back now absolutely astonishes me. Why you may ask? Because APO instilled a passion for service in me. Like about 80% of people that join, my main reason for joining was friendship. I never imagined the love of service it would should me I had. Two things really stuck with me my first semester, and truly solidified why APO was the place me.
First, every semester we hold an event called Rockathon, where for 12 hours a day for three days, we sit in rocking chairs and collect money for an organization. How do we pick the organization? Brothers present organizations near and dear to their heart, and the chapter decides, and the orgs are almost always organizations that aren't well known, for example, in the past we've raised money for our local domestic violence shelter, the local humane society, ALS, and Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America. My first semester, however, we were raising money for Baskets for Care, an organization that puts together baskets for those going through chemo for breast cancer, and I was so moved because I lost my mother to breast cancer. Then, in November, right before initiation, participated in my first Relay for Life, which is put on by the college, but is also one of the fraternity's national partners. Since, as I said, I lost my mother to breast cancer, I was distraught, crying hysterically and not able to contain my composure. That night, brothers held me, cried with me, and walked with me, being there for me in ways no one else had been. They shared the pain with me, and I never experienced anything like that before. To this day, it is my favorite memory of APO.
Alongside service, leadership is another cardinal principle of Alpha Phi Omega. I'm not a natural leader. so I didn't think about being in a position in the chapter. There were 100 brothers, all much more qualified than me. I had ran for positions in my pledge class and didn't win, so I assumed it was destiny and figured I'd play my role as an active, since we have a common saying, "you don't have to have a position to be a leader." However, my passion for APO pushed me to run for pledge ed after my second semester. I've already told the story, so I'll spare the details, but after losing twice, I won on my third try. Recruiting, educating, and helping 41 pledges with two other girls was so hard, so much more rewarding, and taught me so much about myself and who I am as a leader. It gave me invaluable leadership skills, like teamwork, patience, delegating, how to deal with criticism, time management, the list really goes on and on and on and on and on. These are skills I only learned because of APO; no other organization could provide me with the position and opportunity. My recent trip to Pittsburgh for the national conference gave me so much advice about how to handle life post-graduation. How to help my career path, how to network, how to perfect my resume, interview tips, again, the list goes on and on. APO constantly offers opportunies at multiple levels that I have taken advantage of on how to become the leader I want to be. This semester even, I'll be earning my LEADS certificate, which offers 5 leadership courses on conflict management, finding your leadership style, event planning, and so much more.
Our last, but certainly not least, principle is friendship. Thinking about what to write, so many memories filled my mind, and I could talk about APO for hours, but I could talk about the friendships I've made in APO for days. I don't know where to end, but I know where to begin; my family. My big, my littles, my grandlittles, and now, my great grandlittle, are all the most wonderful women in the world. Being with them puts me in my happy place, and they are my inspiration. They're my best friends, and they all have a special place in my heart (hi best damn fam I love you all xoxo). Every time our family grows, I feel more love for a girl I didn't know existed a few months before, and thoughts about how APO brought all of them into my life overwhelms me every time. I could go on forever about my family, because they mean so much to me. However, it's the little fellowships that mean the most. The impromptu times with brothers in dorms, the library, the ice cream parlor, someone's apartment, mostly the office, that truly make your APO experience. I tried to think of some examples, but I had a hard time narrowing down. My favorite in the past year, though, was at nationals. Five of us and two alumni ended up chatting for quite a few hours in the hotel, while we caught them up on what was happening on campus and in the chapter, they told us stories of their time in APO and at BG that had our jaws on the floor. There was the time at a conference at University of Dayton where our chapter led all the brothers in attendance, schools from all over Ohio, to dance and spend hours getting to know each other, having dance battles and making memories. I couldn't tell me how many hours I spent on the fourth floor of the union, just stopping by the office to see people, and ended up spending my whole afternoon laughing and conversing with brothers. Do I even have to mention all the grown up fun we have together? In my 4 years in APO I've met hundreds of people, all of them leaving a last impression on me. Our chapter has regularly 130-150 people, all willing to help you out whenever you need it, all of whom you can talk to about anything, go to them with your problem, and they'll be there for you. It's a truly spectacular thing to be a part of.
Alpha Phi Omega is unique experience, truly. For me, it pulled me out of my dark place and put me on a path I never dreamed of, granting me with opportunities of a lifetime you'll never find anywhere else. I wish everyone could pledge APO, because everyone has something to gain from it. A popular saying when I joined was "come for the friends, stay for the service." On top of all the amazing people you'll meet, APO strives to build you and make you the best a person can be, providing you with the tools you need to grow as a person, and in turn, making you a person with the drive to make a difference. Your letters make you a better person, a better friend, a servant leader, a person that the rest of the world will look to as someone who change the world. APO is for everyone, and building a strong brotherhood is what we are all about.
Letters today, leaders tomorrow, brothers forever.
If you are a BG student, and are interested in pledging, here are our events for spring 2017 semester:
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