Brothers from Kean University's Iota Rho chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity visited Irvington High School to teach students the importance of leadership, responsibility and hard work to achieve personal goals. On Saturday, Sept. 30, students were taught valuable lessons that they will carry with them as in their aspirations for higher education.
Six members of the fraternity, along with other fraternities and sororities from other schools, visited the high school's gymnasium to perform strolls and dances for the students. Titled the "Experience the Legacy HBCU College Fair", eight of the nine Greek organizations in the National Pan-Hellenic Council were present, coming from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU's). Historical schools, such as Howard University, Lincoln University, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NC A&T) and Hampton University offered a college fair-esque experience for the school's students, as tables from multiple colleges were available to them to find the educational institution of their choice.
Caleb Lewis, a global business major with minor in economics and a brother of Alpha Phi Alpha, was one of the six members in attendance at the school's college fair.
"We did have a tabling session, and it was mostly for the students looking for colleges and when they got a chance, to see the fraternities and sororities more during the presentations," Lewis said. "We were more responsible for putting on the presentations and dances for the students to get inspired to go to college."
Along with Kean's former Gamma Zeta chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, students were able to learn about the different fraternities and sororities in the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) as well. Speeches from the different members of the organizations spoke on topics such as staying organized at places of higher learning, as well as the importance of having an education in the current world.
"For me, one of the most memorable moments of the day was the fact that another member of my fraternity, Abdul Mahmoud, was able to speak and perform, and it was the first time that he had ever done anything like it. Being that he was a new member, it was a really enjoyable experience to see the things he set out to do before at this event."
For the "Divine Nine" fraternity, this was the first time in about a decade that they had visited the school in northern New Jersey. The fraternity, however, has had a national program devoted to similar acts of service created 13 years after their recognition as a fraternity. Named the "Go to High School, Go To College" program, the community outreach effort was founded in the year 1919.
The program centers itself around the idea of brothers of a local university going to a high school while speaking and perform for students of all ages. On a broader scale, it was not just the brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha, but all of the other Greek organizations in the Divine Nine from the HBCU's who participate in similar organizations that target the youth in assisting their decisions to continue their education.
"This experience was definitely significant and I really enjoyed it a lot. Although we do the national program by going to a high school every year, you can tell that it means a lot to these students," Lewis said. "For me personally, I just really enjoyed the fact that we were able to just be with the younger kids as I am very passionate about working with them in general because they are going to have control of the world in a few years as well."
Lewis also said, when asked about his experience that seeing kids who look like him as they are African-American, made it an enjoyable experience.
"Hopefully we shed some positive light, showed them that there are role models, and that they are ultimately in control of every situation they encounter."
These charitable events that Alpha Phi Alpha do are nothing out of the ordinary. Since their conception in 1906, the group's motto is, simply put, "First of all, Servants of all, We shall transcend all".
"It says in the motto that, we as a fraternity are going to hold ourselves to a standard of giving back. Although there are times where fraternities and sororities can get away from that aspect, events like this trace us back to our roots and allow us to accomplish what the founders of our fraternity were working for. These events also affirm the true reasons as to why we joined these Greek organizations in the first place."
The memorable experience of meeting the prospective college students, along with the feeling of helping out, gave Lewis and his fraternity brothers a day they will never forget.
