Before Greek Week kicks off on Friday, Eastern sorority and fraternity presidents reflect on what being Greek really means for their Eastern career, lives and future.

For Anthany Wingo, president of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity said, brotherhood has been an important aspect of his experience.

“I have experienced true brotherly love, and gained a family outside of my own blood relatives,” he said, in an email.

He also said he has gained experiences in every aspect from running a business to finance to promotion to internal development.

Wingo said he originally joined his fraternity after transferring his sophomore year because he did not know many people on campus.

“I wanted to get to know people and contribute to something bigger than myself,” Wingo said.

After gaining social confidence and comfort from participating in philanthropies and social functions from his fraternity, Wingo said he has grown in maturity.

“I have gained values to not just turn me from a boy to a man but from a man to a gentleman,” Wingo said.

Greek life is so important because it gives people a change to get a grasp on how the real world works and takes them out of the social bubble norms that they develop from narrow experiences growing up in their home town, Wingo said.

“They gain experience in how a business really runs, and they are working towards something bigger then just themselves,” Wingo said.

Rebecca Johnson, president of Alpha Sigma Tau sorority, decided to join Greek life after transferring here in the spring semester of her freshman year when she did not really know anyone at Eastern.

“I met one of the girls in Alpha Sigma Tau and she introduced me to all of her friends,” Johnson said. “I felt really comfortable with all the girls in the house and could see myself being close with them so I decided to join.”

Johnson said the Airband competition during Greek Week influenced her decision to join because she had danced since she was little.

Johnson said being a part of AST has given her several leadership positions and taught her about responsibility and time management.

“As president, I have learned how important good leadership is as well as how to handle conflicts that arise periodically,” Johnson said.

Not only has AST offered Johnson valuable leadership skills, she said she has met so many people and have made some of her best friends from the sorority.

Johnson said that Greek life is not for everyone, but it is a great way to showcase student’s talents through events like Greek Week and a great place to meet people across campus that you would never had the chance to meet.

“I will remember so much from my time at college being in a sorority,” she said. “I wouldn’t be able to narrow it down to one moment.”

Lauren Brzezinski, president of Delta Delta Delta sorority, said she originally decided to join Greek life to make new friends and try to get out of her comfort zone, but she soon found that being a part of a sorority was so much more than friends.

“Being an only child, I didn’t have any people or friends that I would consider family,” Brzezinski said. “After Bid Day I gained 90 sisters and we have a bond that is unlike anything I ever knew.”

Her most memorable moment as a Tri-Delta was when she found out who her ‘Big Sister’ was.

“She has always been there for me no matter what, and I’m grateful to have her, my little and my grand-little in my life,” she said.

For students who are not Greek, Brzezinski said she would ask them why they are not Greek. She would also ask them what their fears or hesitations about Greek life are.

“Greek life isn’t parties; it’s something more,” she said. “It’s sisters and brothers. It’s working together as a community for different charities. It’s a family you could never have anywhere else.”

Elizabeth Edwards can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].