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Expectations

Pledges

Write about your expectation of APO before pledging. What are you looking forward to during this pledging process?

It started when I was talking to a friend and she told me to pledge for something. While we talked for awhile, she then told me to pledge for this fraternity called Alpha Phi Omega. Then, I went to all the rush events and I liked the atmosphere and the people in APO. Everyone was so genuine and funny. Eric Dong told me to check APO out and go for it. So I decided to pledge. I really expected it to be more focused, and I mean that I know it's focused on service, but I thought it would just be about helping the poor and society. I didn't know there were other types of service we would be doing. From pledging, I expect to grow in character, to be a part of a family, and to create new memories. I also want to get my own slideshow one day. -Jerwin Almazar

What I am expecting out of APO is a NU Family!

-Jacqueline Nguyen

Brothers

Write about your expectation of APO before pledging. How has that changed over time? What is there to look forward to after crossing over into Brotherhood?

I learned about Alpha Phi Omega through my brother who was a brother at Alpha Gamma Nu (University of California, Santa Cruz). At the beginning of pledging, I remember learning about a lot of history that I was not prepared to listen to. I remember feeling very awkward being around these people I didn't know or just had small talk with. A lot of things were running through my mind so I was very confused. I expected it to be really easy because everyone was like it's just 9 weeks and I mean, it's just service. How would this be hard? And I thought I would talk to people along the way and make a few friends here and there. There were also a lot of upperclassmen and I was prepared to meet people more like my age but this was due to the demographics of my own pledge class. Pledging is very concentrated in doing service for all the C's but along the way you learn a lot about yourself because you're put out of your element. You're encouraged to open up and be vulnerable and share your story with other people. You learn to deal with stress as well as how you contribute as a leader. You learn to value things like relationships. You learn a lot about how you are through the interactions you have with everyone. Every story changes you. Every interaction changes you. So through everyone that you meet, you are changed. Pledges can look forward to being brothers that contribute a positive space for the future pledges. You can still make the pledging experience better for them no matter you are or are not a bigs, littles, eboard, etc. You can still have an impact which a lot of people may not realize. Although APO is not for everyone, you'll still be able to take something away from it. You don't just cross over and not feel anything. -Richie Suwa

Before pledging, I just thought a fraternity was like a club you sign up for. That's it. You just sign up and get in. I quickly realized that there is so much hard work and dedication that goes into being a part of something as grand as this. The letters are earned, and it's truly a process that is unlike any other. When I was a pledge, a lot of brothers kept saying that I had banquet to look forward to. Sure banquet is fun, but there's more to that. It is having a foundation of people you can count on. -Emily Nguyen

Before pledging, I expected APO to be similar to a high school service club; I guess I expected it to be a casual thing for most people. Over time, I have realized that this fraternity is so much more than that. The rigor of the pledging process takes its toll on you and it is time-consuming, but it’s all worth it. Becoming close to your pledge brothers, pledge team, and family line during your pledging process is such an amazing experience, and I cannot imagine spending the second semester of my freshman year any other way. This fraternity is so much more than a club—here, we are a family. As cliché as that sounds, it’s true for a majority of us. After crossing into Brotherhood, I personally have enjoyed being active within the fraternity and participating a lot throughout the past pledge class’ (KHK) pledging process, and I look forward to getting along with the pledges of the Erica Hooper pledge class as well and helping in any way possible. I guess I just want to give as much as I can back to this fraternity because I had an amazing experience pledging and I want to be as welcoming to the new pledges in the hopes that they all enjoy APO as much as I do. -Chris Vasques

Prior to pledging, I had some insight about what Alpha Phi Omega stood for and embodied, but I wasn’t really expecting a great deal…besides a few new friends. Rumneek Bains convinced me to pledge and after hearing him rave about how a m a z i n g this organization was, I decided to give it a try. I expected the pledging process to be intense, since I hardly saw Rumneek that semester. 

 

However, I was so relieved to have gone through the pledging process. Yes, the pledging process was “intense” (time/energy-consuming), but the unbelievable support and love that blossoms from the bonds you make are everlasting. After crossing over, you’re welcomed into Brotherhood with such open arms and warm smiles! :)

-Paulina Nguyen

I first knew about APO through the Fall Involvement Fair. I was just walking by and I saw the giant letters and it just drew me in. At my first pledge meeting, I remember sitting next to Kim and messing up what I had to read off the pledge manual since I was completely on the wrong page. After the first pledge meeting, I really expected APO to take over my life because of all the requirements we read and I was really freaking out. After pledging, the requirements didn't become the biggest and most important thing.

In the end, it was more about the experience of pledging. APO was no longer intimidating and it became an opportunity to grow and build relationships. The pledges can look forward to being closer to this special group of people, this family. You can look forward to wearing letters and seeing how far you've come. You get to see the next pledge classes experience what you experienced because in the end, it ties us all together. -Macky Lee

I heard about APO through Celeste because she was like it's so awesome and everything. And Nicole was like we should pledge together! To be honest, I didn't know what was really happening at the beginning. People told me it was going to be hard. My advisor told me people's grades would slip. I expected it to be a mess since there were so many things happening and a lot of requirements so I didn't think I could finish. I felt like I didn't fit in with the pledge class. It was just weird. But now, I feel like I was wrong about everything. I crossed over so obviously I finished requirements. I even got some of the best grades in college that semester. Before when I met my pledge class, I didn't think  I would fit in but now looking back, I did bond with them over time. Pledges should be open to meeting new people and open minded to everything. Every activity and everything in pledging has a reason to it. You should always take something away from everything, no matter how big or small. Look forward to bonding with older brothers because during pledging it's hard to get close with brothers since you're so focused on bonding with your pledge class. It's definitely more 'lax when you cross over. There's still requirements but it's not as stressful getting those requirements done as when you were pledging. -Matt Bordallo

I actually didn't find out about APO at the Involvement Fair like a lot of people. I was in class and a brother told me all about APO and told me to pledge because it was worth it in the end. He even told me to go to Treat-A-Friend since you get free food! From this brother's stories, I expected to make a lot of friends. My first semester here, I had no friends. YOU KNOW HOW SHY I AM? But luckily, I met with some brothers during a random hangout in the caf and they said it would be guaranteed that I would make friends! Other than that, I thought pledging was going to be hard but looking back, I don't think it was as difficult as I made it out to be. Being on eboard now, I realize that this is a lot harder since I'm catering to a whole chapter rather than just a pledge class.

I was also part of Key Club in high school and so I expected it to be like that. I thought if I could do it in high school, I could do it in college. After crossing over, you get closer with people after pledging rather than during pledging because you actually have time to hang out with them. You observe what's happening and then you understand what pledging means from another perspective. During pledging, my pledge parents asked me "Joanne, do you think you take initiative?" and I was like wait what? I was offended since they just thought I just stood in the shadows and did nothing. So now, I want to prove them wrong and show them that I can do more and step up as a brother. (But now, I realize that's just a probing question they asked me and they weren't attacking me.)

-Joanne Tran

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