By Wyatt Crosher, Communications Coordinator for Student Affairs
This is the second of a three-part series highlighting the best of what Fraternity & Sorority Life at UNC Charlotte has to offer. The first story, focused on community, can be read here.
Emma Boger said she’s always been a leader in school before coming to college, but she was prepared for that to change upon her arrival at a larger institution like UNC Charlotte.
Whether it was apprehension or intimidation, Boger’s thoughts shifted once she joined the Delta Zeta sorority. Fast forward to now, and she is president of the Panhellenic Executive Board, which oversees eight sororities on campus.
Boger said her experiences within the University’s fraternity and sorority life helped her continue forward on the path she had throughout grade school.
“It made me love this school,” Boger said. “I originally came here because my dad and older sister went here. Greek Life really opened my eyes to what the school has to offer, not just what they had shown me. It opened up a lot of doors that I didn't even see."
What Boger describes is common to many students who find much more than community and social connection in Greek organizations. Membership can lead to committee participation, developing skills in recruitment, philanthropy or programming. Committee chairs often graduate to executive board responsibilities, which involve a high level of responsibility with national offices or headquarters to keep the organization operating and thriving.
Along the journey, students are exposed to a variety of leadership skills including professional development, networking, organizational skills, teambuilding and the invaluable personal growth that comes from this type of campus involvement.
Falena Salcedo has had a similar experience to Boger. Now the president of the Independent Greek Council, Salcedo said she was more reserved when she first arrived on campus. But her time in fraternity and sorority life, specifically with getting her chapter, Sigma Alpha Iota, onto campus in December 2020, got her to open up.
"It's helped me come out of my shell,” Salcedo said. “Coming in Fall 2018, I was very reserved and very shy. I didn't really know what I wanted to do yet, so I was very isolated from everyone else. I think being in my org and being in this Greek community has really helped me step out of that comfort zone of 'OK, I have to talk to this person even if I don't want to or am really anxious to.' And it’s turned into something really good. I'm grateful that I've had the opportunities that I've had in Greek Life."
Success can come in many forms at Charlotte, and often the same faces in the Greek community are ones making an impact in other areas of campus life, such as student government, recreation and academics.
Danyal Mahmud was selected in 2021 as a finalist for the first year of Charlotte Homecoming’s “Niner 9,” nine outstanding candidates who exemplify the values and spirit of Niner Nation, regardless of their gender, gender identity and gender expression, eliminating the previous gendered King and Queen titles.
As event coordinator for the Lambda Upsilon Lambda fraternity and president of the Diversified Greek Council, Mahmud said it was an honor to be the representative for the work his council does in the Greek community.
“It was really cool to be able to represent the council as a whole on the Niner 9, because some of the people that I know in the council are some of the hardest workers,” Mahmud said. “We have to work a lot harder to achieve the same levels as PHA and IFC fraternities who have so many members. We are definitely a lot smaller in numbers, so that was really important to me to be that representation."
UNC Charlotte’s Fraternity and Sorority Life also offers experience that can help for endeavors after leaving the University. Tate Leonard is the current president of the Chi Phi fraternity and Charlotte’s Interfraternity Council, which oversees 13 active organizations.
Leonard has turned those experiences into a job that fits into his finance and economics double major. It has also made him a better student as he’s learned to juggle the extra responsibilities.
“I found it really rewarding because it helped me with time management,” Leonard said. “My grades have gone up ever since I became chapter and IFC President. I found things in my life that were not essential, things that I didn't have to do that I was just wasting my time with. It helped me be more professional, have better time management and build my resume.”
While events and gatherings will likely remain the most commonly known aspects of fraternity and sorority life, Mahmud credits what he’s learned in his time with Charlotte’s community for how he has grown, and how he will continue to grow into whatever he does after he graduates.
“In my role in Greek Life and also as president of our council, it really has shown me how to apply the skills I've learned and how to be a leader,” Mahmud said. “I was able to apply the skills I learned in those initial leadership roles and put them to the test in terms of supporting our chapter and supporting the overall success of our council.
For more info on Fraternity and Sorority Life at UNC Charlotte, go to the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life’s website here.