Outstanding Member Involvement Award

This isn’t a story from my day-to-day college life, but it’s a special honor from my junior year that’s worth remembering. I received the Fraternity Outstanding Membership Involvement Award, an honor I applied for and was fortunate to be selected for through a vote.

Reading over what my close friend Amber said when she introduced me for the award makes me realize that the “involvement” recognized by this award truly went beyond the fraternity itself — it celebrated making a difference across the broader community.

Amber shared:

“The fraternity outstanding membership involvement recipient is a former member of the track team and currently works for the IT department here at the university developing systems for online education. He spends his time volunteering for the Knights of Columbus fraternity which takes care of widows in the community and frequently spends weekends helping out at the student food pantry. He also regularly attends town hall meetings and helped in the selection of President Schill. In regards to his fraternity, he says ‘I may not hold an executive position but whenever I can take the weight off of a brother’s shoulders I will step up to the task.’ Congratulations and thank you to Aaron Smet of Theta Chi for your hard work and dedication in our community.”

It’s a moment that still makes me proud — a reminder that showing up for people in different corners of life matters just as much, if not more, than holding a formal title.