The moment you enter your fraternity, you know you just entered your home away from home. You pass by the kitchen and greet every single brother who is munching on his food, ask how the day is going, or just go around the rooms at the house and chill with your brother between classes, after school, or before a pre game. 

A fraternity is more than what your parents think or movies show; the typical stereotype of a fraternity being just a party house in the outskirts of campus is pretty imprecise. This place welcomes you 24/7, 365 days a year, whenever, wherever -- from your chapter at Florida, to another chapter in Nebraska, Wyoming, Oregon or California. 

A fraternity is exceptional enough to offer you hundreds of brothers united under a mutual consensus, a kinship, a fellowship. These guys are always there to support you whenever the adversity of life breaks through your day -- whether it is a job interview that did not go the way it was supposed to, or you thought you were going to ace your test but you didn't. Maybe you lost a family member, a cat, or a dog -- either way, they are there for you, because they are your comrades, your mates, your friends, your brothers. 

It is an extra motivation to show the best of yourself because at the end you have to remember that you represent a part of that fraternity. You have to demonstrate integrity, courage and be a gentleman -- after all, these traits are what makes a leader. Whether it is on a sports team, at a philanthropic event, or just walking around campus, remember who you represent and what your fraternity gives you back: a lifelong bond with people who have your same desires, ambitions and objectives. 

I think back to the time when I first transferred to UF and was unsure about joining a fraternity, an I wonder what I could have been thinking because I do not know what would have become of me if I had not joined my fraternity. The warmness this place transmits once you pass its doors, the unforgettable fun times you have on those famous tailgates, and the fact that you have hundreds of lads who have your back every time you fall, makes a fraternity your home away from home. 

For all of this and more... thank you fraternities.