Summer 2014
EPSILON MU KAPPA PSI PHARMACEUTICAL FRATERNITY, INC. Epsilon Mu Summer 2014 Newsletter
Where There is Unity There is Always Victory by: Publilius Syrus
Table of contents Retreat For Success ……………………………………………….….. page 2 Spotlight on Brother Ravi Bacchus …………………………….. page 4 Picture Perfect Party ………………………………………………… page 6
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Summer 2014
RETREAT FOR SUCCESS
By: Lauri Eng
In four short years, Epsilon Mu has gone from being newly chartered, to becoming the number two Collegiate Chapter of Kappa Psi in the world. Despite the incredible accomplishment, and the incredible amount of hard work put towards achieving it this past year, it is not the finish line for us. Instead, we look at it as the starEng point for another year to achieve and surpass even bigger goals for our Chapter. And achieving those goals, all begins with the Annual Epsilon Mu Chapter Retreat. This weekend showcased the epitome of what it means to be a Brother of this very acEve Chapter, and more importantly of this great Fraternity. Brothers from all pledge classes were represented, and Brothers with all different schedules made Eme away from work, rotaEons, and family to be with their Kappa Psi family for the two-‐night event. We met just outside our home base in Orlando, FL at a picturesque 5-‐bedroom vacaEon home with a screened backyard, pool, hot tub, and gourmet kitchen. Despite the sweet ameniEes, however, the main event of the annual retreat was to get to work. 2
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A roadmap was developed for the year ahead by each commiQee, including events for each month, fundraisers, philanthropic prioriEes, Orlando Grad socials, and more. We addressed each of these events with equal importance to evaluate and debate how to most effecEvely execute each. OTen you will hear Brothers remark, “CommiQees are where the real work of the Chapter gets done.” At the retreat, our 12 commiQees demonstrated just that.
With all of this, aTer two long, busy days of hard work, it is no surprise that the biggest accomplishment from this weekend was binding the bonds of Brotherhood even stronger. We tested our Brother and Kappa Psi knowledge in a heated game of jeopardy. We were able to catch up with Brothers who traveled far to be there. And of course, every meal was a family style meal. Being with our Kappa Psi family was truly the most important part of this weekend. A special thanks is extended to Brother Satrap and Epsilon Mu Alpha Brother, Karl Healy, whose generous donaEon helped to fund the great success of the retreat. Our Chapter is excited to execute our master plan developed at the retreat, and achieve the big goals in our future!
More than establishing the nuts and bolts for the year ahead, an important part of the Epsilon Mu retreat is to strengthen and hone our leadership skills. Brother Daniel Morley led a “leadership styles” acEvity that was introduced at the inaugural Southeast Province Leadership Retreat. Brothers were tasked to answer a quesEonnaire that would determine if you approached leadership with a doer, thinker, feeler, or intuitor outlook. More importantly, Brothers were taught strategies on how to best approach a person who has a different leadership style than you. From what to do, to what to avoid doing, this exercise was t r u l y i n f o r m a E v e a n d c e r t a i n l y transformaEve.
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Spotlight on Brother Ravi Bacchus Q:When did you know you wanted to pursue a career in pharmacy? During my Eme at Seminole Community College (now Seminole State College), I developed an affinity for the sciences. What I enjoyed the most was the hands-‐on acEviEes that the classes provided. In college, I was a Jack of all trades, master of none. Flash forward a few years and I landed my first job as a pharmacy technician at Walmart Pharmacy. During my sEnt there, I became an expert at premier customer service and I really enjoyed what I did. By this Eme, I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in the medical field but I knew that I didn’t want to do the tradiEonal MD route as I am averse to blood and personal contact. Pharmacy seemed like a happy medium and aTer taking the PCAT and doing alright, I knew this was the path I would blaze in life.
at the Eme). Flash forward to Rush week and I was truly treated like family by the Brothers even though I was just a rushee. The camaraderie that I saw in the Brotherhood was exactly what I had searched for my enEre life. From that point on, I never had a doubt in my mind that this was the family I wanted to become a part of and the rest is history.
Q: What are your plans in the next couple of years? More than anything, I would like to remain in the Central Florida area aTer I graduate as most of my family lives here and it would be hard to leave all of them behind. In addiEon, they depend on me for emoEonal and financial support. I was born and raised in Central Florida and I absolutely love it here. I want to have a strong influence on Epsilon Mu when I transiEon to a Graduate Brother and I fully intend on joining the ranks of OG SWAG. As far as my career goes, I’m completely open to whatever opportunity life will throw my way. I’m very intrigued by the possibility of becoming a ConsulEng Pharmacist and am currently leaning towards that. No maQer what sector of pharmacy I end up in, I know that I will flourish because I consider myself very versaEle. Q: What made you decide to join Kappa Psi? Growing up, I never quite fit in anywhere I went whether it be church or school. I was always the oddball and forever yearned to find somewhere I belonged. All I wanted was to be uncondiEonally accepted. I spent a lot of my teenage years just keeping to myself with video games being my escape from reality. Flash forward to the beginning of pharmacy school: I saw this as a chance to redefine myself and step outside of my comfort zone. The first Brothers I ever met were Marissa and Adrian at my interview at the old Apopka campus. They were so welcoming and helped to assuage my uncertainly about the interview process. When I came to the Orlando campus for a campus tour, I met Jennifer, Nam, and Timmy. They too were very welcoming and I began to noEce a trend (although I had no idea they were Brothers
Q: What challenges did you face while pledging? Pledging was the most tumultuous yet rewarding period of my life. One challenge I faced iniEally and sEll deal with to an extent, is the trepidaEon of my parents regarding what I do. My parents are immigrants and the concept of a Fraternity is certainly a foreign one to them. ATer having met some of my Delta Brothers and hearing how much they supported me when I was struggling academically, their concerns were quelled to a degree. Another challenge I faced was trying to balance being in a relaEonship with everything else that I had going on. Let’s just say it was rough sledding and leave it at that. The biggest struggle I faced was academically and I’m not ashamed to say that I struggled mighEly. I put 100% of my effort into pledging and my grades suffered as a result. I have no idea how I managed to survive academically but by God’s grace I made it. Pledging was hell on earth but I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat because I’ve never
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Summer 2014 felt more connected to others than I did during that Eme. I honestly miss it someEmes. Deltas 4 life! Q: How do you plan on being involved beyond pharmacy school? I want to have a strong influence on Epsilon Mu when I transiEon to a Graduate Brother. The chapter has given so much to me and I want nothing more than to give back. I’d like to be a part of a Chaplain Advisory CommiQee and be a resource to the current Chaplain and the Chapter as a whole. I absolutely love what I do right now as a Chaplain and I want nothing more than to share my knowledge and experiences. I also have my sights set on a grander stage: at some point, I’d like to run for a Province posiEon and my dream is to one day become part of the Grand Council. I aspire for greatness and I want nothing more than to serve my Brothers in whatever capacity I can. Q: What has being a Brother done for you and how has it shaped you into the person that you are? It’s impossible to fully quanEfy this but I’ll do my best. Kappa Psi has truly breathed life into me. Before pharmacy school, I was a follower and someone without any real passion or purpose. I was not confident in my abiliEes and I was very insecure. The pledging process most certainly changed all that and the adversity I faced only made me stronger. With the support of my Delta Brothers, I took up several officer posiEons as a pledge and each really helped me to grow as a leader. The experiences I garnered from each would have never been possible if it weren’t for the words of encouragement from Dominick and Kristal. Being a Brother has given me the chance to realize my full potenEal and I believe I’m well on my way to unlocking it. Being a Brother has given me the opportunity to do something I enjoy more than anything in the world: mentoring. Not only have I been blessed with the opportunity to have mentored the Epsilon class, but I’ve had the opportunity to mentor the Alpha classes of Zeta Gamma and Zeta Delta. I want those who come aTer me to never repeat the mistakes I’ve made and to ulEmately be beQer than I am. In every Brother lies great potenEal and I will do whatever it takes to help them unlock it. I believe that my purpose in life is to help others get the most out of theirs and I know that to be true now. I never hesitate to take Eme out of my day to mentor because if I don’t do it, they might miss out on a chance to grow as a person. Kappa Psi has given me an invaluable support system. I surely would have flunked out of pharmacy school if it weren’t for by Brothers helping to carry me. Kappa Psi has opened up the doors of employment and I have Mikel to thank for helping me
land my current job. That is the true testament to the pay it forward mantra that we preach. Kappa Psi has given me a reason to wake up every day and is what keeps me Ecking. I thank God every day that I’m a Brother of Kappa Psi and it’s something that I will never ever take for granted. If I had to start my journey all over again I wouldn’t change a single thing. Who is Kappa Psi? I am Kappa Psi. Q: What interesEng stories do you remember as a pledge? The most memorable moment I had as a pledge was at the Inaugural SEP Conclave that Epsilon Mu hosted. This was the moment that I came to realize how fearless and gregarious I really was. In the lobby outside of where the Masquerade Ball was taking place stood several members of the Grand Council: the then Grand Vice Regent Eric Gupta, Grand Ritualist Latha Radhakrishnan, and Collegiate Member at Large Johnny Wong. In typical Brave Eagle fashion, I went up to them and immediately joined their conversaEon and ended up spending quite some Eme going back and forth. Of course they grilled me iniEally but aTer that was over, we had such a great conversaEon. I remember it like it was yesterday. To think that a lowly pledge could be talking with a several members of the Grand Council seemed illogical yet I made it happen. “Anything is possible!” Q: What advice do you have for brothers? Never take what we have here at Epsilon Mu for granted. This is truly a special family and I’m so blessed to be a part of it. Always strive to not only beQer yourself, but to beQer those around you. Make an impact not only within the Fraternity, but on campus, in the community, and wherever life takes you. You never know who may be looking up to you for inspiraEon and whose life you can touch. Live every day so that the all-‐seeing eye looks down upon you and sees you living a clean, useful life. That is how I approach every day of my life and why I am so on fire for this Fraternity.
SALAI
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Summer 2014
PICTURE PERFECT PARTY by: Jeanine Garcia In the world of charity, it is not oTen that you will actually see the results of your effort. DonaEng food for a canned food drive, clothes to a shelter, or money to an organizaEon, or walking for a cause are all worthwhile acEviEes, but rarely do you see the families who are fed, the individuals who are clothed, or the supplies that are able to be
purchased because of your donaEons. There is something to be said for donaEng your Eme. Just your Eme. Being able to spend Eme with those less fortunate is something that you cannot put a price tag on. We may not have an overabundance of this intangible item, but how we choose to use it speaks volumes about us as human beings. The brothers of Epsilon Mu found out first-‐hand how rewarding it is to spend some Eme with the residents of the Russell Home, which is a residence for special needs individuals. On a Saturday night over the summer, we supplied decoraEons, a cake, some sodas, a camera, and our Eme, and we had a party with the Home. We decided to have a “picture perfect” theme, so we brought feather boas, gliQery hats, wooden picture frames, mustaches, over-‐sized 6
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glasses, and other various props with us. We hung up a Hollywood-‐esque backdrop so we could take pictures of the residents in front of it. We had a cake, which was generously donated by a kind stranger, that said, “Say cheese!”, and we also had temporary taQoos, mustache straws (also donated), and beaded necklaces for everyone. There was a DJ and pizza provided by the Home. And we had such a great Eme! We danced with everyone, we were amazed by the karaoke abiliEes we saw, and we were touched by how something so simple could translate to so much joy. I had copies of all the pictures made to give to the Home. As I was going through them, I found myself with a huge, goofy grin on my face as I was brought back to that night. The smiles on everyone’s faces were absolutely
radiant, and their eyes were so full of life and happiness. Even now, as I write this, I remember how Benjy belted out Stevie Wonder, and how his buddy did an Elvis impersonaEon that had us all cheering. I loved seeing a trio of women with Down’s hugging each other with their Earas and boas worn with such pride. The joy in that Home was contagious, and was captured perfectly in photos of our Brothers and the residents. There are so many things about that night that touched my heart. Mostly, though, I realized how much joy and happiness we are able to bring to others. All of us are capable. We just need to make the Eme.
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