My first year of college was decent for me. I had a lot of fun and met tons of new people and came in with an awesome friend group from high school. However, something was missing. I didn't join any student organizations my freshman year, so all I did was go to class and go to work; which gets draining after a while.

While in this rut, one of my friends told me I should rush her service fraternity. I thought to myself "yeah, right. That is way out of my comfort zone." I then remembered the cliche saying "life begins at the end of your comfort zone" and decided to give it a shot.

Alpha Phi Omega is a national co-ed service fraternity as well as the largest college fraternity in the United States. The purpose of this fraternity is to develop Leadership, to promote Friendship, and to provide Service. The principles of Alpha Phi Omega are similar to that of Scout Oath and Scout Law from the Boy Scouts of America.

On September 19th, 2016, I became a pledge of the Zeta Lambda chapter at the University of Toledo. Then started the three-month pledging process where I learned a lot about my chapter, met tons of new people, and even got to know my campus better through all the events I went to. On November 21st, 2016, I officially became an active member of the Zeta Lambda chapter and this is where I really started to see how APO was going to change my life.

I don't see the point of joining an organization and not doing anything with it. With that being said, I became super involved with my chapter once I got initiated. In December of 2016, I attended the national convention in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I met brothers from all over the country, learned a lot about the fraternity, made unforgettable memories, and bonded with brothers from my chapter.

Coming back for the Winter 2017 semester, I accepted a position on the pledge committee. Here I worked closely and also independently with five other brothers to ensure this next pledge class could become active brothers of the chapter. I was responsible for 11 of the 50 pledges and they helped me more than they could ever know.

Seeing the excitement and passion these pledges had shown me that they were ready to become apart of something bigger than themselves and live their best lives. However, I wasn't necessarily doing that for myself. My decision to transfer schools came after being at the national convention and being what my group referred to as their "Pledge Dad."

Now that I'm no longer at the University of Toledo, I'm in the process of transferring into the Lambda Phi chapter here at Eastern Michigan University. Brothers of the Lambda Phi chapter have been very welcoming of me and for that I am thankful.

Not to be that person, but joining Alpha Phi Omega was one of the best decisions I have ever made. It's so nice being surrounded by people who want to help you realize your full potential. I'm so thankful for such a great organization that has provided me with the opportunity to grow as a person, friend, and leader. Thank you, Alpha Phi Omega for helping me through my "sophomore slump" and helping me realize what I need to do to live my best life.