The new school year at UC Davis officially began on the 21st of September, and the incoming freshmen class stood out among the crowd of practiced bicyclists and pedestrians making their way across campus. Deafening sounds, sweaty palms, and thundering hearts are only a few of the things freshmen experience on their first day of class, and nearly four years ago Sidra Ali was no different. Ali accepted her admission to UC Davis from Goddard High School in New Mexico not long after she decided she wanted to dedicate her life to medicine, and it was that same motivation that drove her to join Phi Delta Epsilon.
(Image: Phi Delta Epsilon at UC Davis. Ali is in the middle.)
Her decision wasn't an easy one to make; so much so, that Ali abstained from making her choice until she was a sophomore. Fast-forward a few years and it seems like she has gracefully shed all former inhibitions in favor of fully embracing her role in Greek Life as the current President of Phi Delta Epsilon and the Professional Sorority and Fraternity Council at UC Davis.
One question persists, however: Why did an ambitious pre-med student join Greek Life?
(Image: Phi Delta Epsilon at UC Davis.)
The answer lies at Phi Delta Epsilon's core and serves as a distinguishing factor in the world of Greek Life at UC Davis: it is first and foremost a professional fraternity dedicated to cultivating and fostering the growth of future medical students. It isn't what freshmen typically imagine at the mention of "Greek Life." Instead, Phi Delta Epsilon––like other professional fraternities and sororities on campus––serve as a center for like-minded students to bond over their individual and collective struggles as aspiring professionals in an increasingly competitive world.
To say Phi Delta Epsilon and other professional Greek organizations are elusive would be an overstatement, but it's undeniable that they're lesser known than their louder and more social counterparts. Fortunately for them, however, the negative stereotypes and connotations of one group don't affect their reputation nearly as much. Instead, their unity in professionally aimed communities also creates a sense of camaraderie and family as they work together to create the best experience possible for students. Professional fraternities and sororities like Phi Delta Epsilon often meet with Alpha Kappa Psi––a co-ed business fraternity––in events like Mixers to socialize and exchange ideas. Although both fraternities aim to prepare their students for the future, neither of them disregard the value of making memories with friends who slowly, but surely, become a home away from home.
(Image: Austen Lucena for Phi Delta Epsilon at UC Davis.)
Ali, as an out of state student, was eager to find her "group" in college, and her concern was the same as many of the incoming freshmen this year. As a result, she understood the allure behind joining a typical sorority; there, girls her age would mentor and introduce her to people she otherwise wouldn't have met on her own, but the social aspect wasn't enough for Ali. She was driven, after all. She was an endeavoring pre-med student, and she didn't want to compromise her educational career for the sake of a few friends and nights spent in hazy party air.
Her drive to become a doctor and her desire to meet others is what made Phi Delta Epsilon perfect.
(Image: Phi Delta Epsilon at UC Davis.)
The social aspect is there, but Ali credits the pre-med community within the fraternity as being one of the key motivators of her educational career at UC Davis. College life, admittedly, can be incredibly challenging for students; and if you feel like you don't have a support system, it can be infinitely worse. "Professional frats aren't just social," Ali said, "They advise you and they support you." Through an untiring support system and healthy competition, these students consistently improve themselves and develop openings for opportunities they otherwise never would have dreamed of creating.
In addition to the leadership roles she has undertaken since joining, Ali has been able to confidently exercise her interview and resume skills––professional talents she learned in her fraternity––for highly coveted positions in places like the Imani Clinic. Her positions within and outside the university's immediate community have served to not only prepare her for her future as a doctor, but she has also managed to develop friendships with people she knows will last long after she graduates from UC Davis.
(Image: Phi Delta Epsilon)
As a senior member of Phi Delta Epsilon, Ali encourages freshmen to look past the stereotypes aligned with Greek Life and to consider the possibilities of joining a professional fraternity or sorority. Although she cannot speak for every organization personally, she knows her life at UC Davis never have been nearly as memorable had it not been for her involvement in the professional Greek Life. And if you're a freshman with aspirations of donning a white coat and stethoscope in your future, Ali asks that you consider joining Phi Delta Epsilon.
You can meet Ali and the rest of Phi Delta Epsilon at the upcoming Anatomy fashion show on September 30th.
(Image: Phi Delta Epsilon)
