Alum gained skill and knowledge for real world

When students come to college, they search for friends that share the same interests and ideals that they have. For a lot of students that are looking for friends similar to themselves, joining a fraternity or sorority seems to be the best option.

For Steve Lambert, a Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) alum, joining a fraternity gave him the opportunity to meet friends that he had things in common with, as well as the chance to make something of himself.

“What made me go Greek was seeing that the fraternity stereotypes weren’t real and that there was depth to being a fraternity man,” Lambert said. “It wasn’t just about partying and going crazy; there was a challenging aspect of being a better man.”

Lambert became a member of SAE in the spring of 2008 and went above and beyond being the regular fraternity brother during his four years as an active member, participating in numerous groups and organizations. He was a member of Greek InterVarsity, acted as the recruitment chair for both the Interfraternity Council and Central’s SAE chapter and was also a Greek 101 facilitator.

He led a bible study for his fraternity brothers, allowing them to connect on a more spiritual and personal level. Lambert believes that the leadership opportunities he had are one of the most beneficial things that happened for him by going Greek.

“Greek life definitely helped me to learn how to work with people, especially with those that are different than me,” Lambert said. “When I was managing multiple committees, I had to deal with people with opposing organizational beliefs. This experience has helped me to overcome differences with co-workers.”

Lambert graduated this past August with a degree in Political Science with a concentration in International Relations. Although he is no longer considered an active member in his fraternity, he still spends the majority of his time working towards bettering the Greek community. Lambert now works full time for Greek InterVarsity.

“My job is to help Greek students get involved in their Christian faith,” Lambert said. “I help start bible studies and meet individually with members of the Greek system to do one-on-one discussions. We do events to unify the Greek system through InterVarsity and provide space to ‘get real’ with their brothers and sisters.”

While Lambert is no longer an active member of SAE, he finds ways to stay involved with his brothers.

“Being an alumni forces you to take things into your own hands to be involved in your undergrad chapter,” Lambert said. “You find ways to support your fraternity in more unique ways such as financial donations or dropping pizza off at the house.”

Lambert advises future Greek alumni to keep up with the happenings of their chapters, even after they have graduated and gotten away from the college life.

“My advice for future alumni is to get involved right away with a local alumni chapter of your group in order to stay connected with other brothers or sisters around the area,” Lambert said. “Give back to your group just as others gave back to you, even if it’s a small amount.”

Lambert hopes to eventually work for the United Nations Human Rights sector, a job that would allow him to utilize all of the knowledge and experience that he gained from making the decision to go Greek.