Delta Chi - Educational Foundation

The KnighT erranT Page 2 www.dcef.com PAST ATTENDEES GAIN LIFELONG BENEFITS FROM PATRICIPATION IN "A"S' ACADEMY Justin Sherman, Central Missouri '08 Why did you decide to join Delta Chi? As a first-generation college student, I wanted to get, in my opinion, a full college experience, which involved joining a fraternity. I had a positive interaction with active member Peter Glickert and thoroughly enjoyed the other brothers I met. Delta Chi just felt right and ended up having a significant impact on my life. Tell us about your career path since college. Working with Delta Chi was my first job out of college and I have been here since. I started with the Fraternity as a leadership consultant and then served in various roles on staff. For the last three years, I have been very fortunate to serve as the Executive Director of the Fraternity and as the Foundation's Chief Administrative Officer. I look at this position as a job and a volunteer role—I work for the Fraternity, but I view my role as a way to give to an organization that provided me so many opportunities. My goal everyday is to ensure that I am doing my best to provide similar opportunities to our student and alumni members. What did you learn from attending "A"s' Academy? In 2006, I attended the first "A"s' Academy—it completely changed my paradigm of Delta Chi. It showed me there was more to Delta Chi outside of my local chapter experience. Being a brand new "A," the Academy better prepared me to be an impactful leader. Within just a few weeks, I was facing situations that I would not have been equipped to handle if I had not attended "A"s' Academy. As an individual who did not want to attend the Academy, I was very grateful for the experience and instantly knew Delta Chi had succeeded with their investment in me. Has "A"s' Academy helped you in your life after college? Going to that Academy accelerated my growth. I was better equipped to handle the management of a chapter and when I stepped out of that role, I was better equipped for life. In my opinion, there is a direct correlation between leadership development in college and its impact on a person upon graduation. Just like other individuals who attended the Academy, I was better equipped to handle post-college life in a very professional and intelligent manner. Why is supporting the "A"s' Academy important? Your contribution to the "A"s' Academy supports the leader of your local organization. He is going to be able to better manage his organization, which will foster a healthy experience for the local membership, be an asset to institute, and will exist for many generations to come. What sense of pride did you gain as a DC? Being a Delta Chi meant having something to call my own at USC. The Delta Chis were a really good group of people from different backgrounds who came together and found a common thread. Have you stayed involved as an alumnus? I've been very involved—as the ABT President for my chapter, Ritualist of the Fraternity for five years, Vice Regent, "A" of the Los Angeles Area Alumni Chapter, and other positions within our housing corporation. The involvement takes time, but it's important for me to give back where I can. There were a lot of advisors and alumni who assisted and helped guide me along the way and I know I wouldn't have succeeded without them. What was the experience of "A"s' Academy like for you? "A"s' Academy was the first international Delta Chi event I had attended. It gave me the chance to talk to a lot of other "A"s and realize we were all grappling with the same issues—membership, recruitment, university relations. Coming out of the Academy, the guys I met, including Justin Sherman, became my close confidants as the school year went on. As issues arose throughout the year, I had people to talk to in order to work through the challenges I confronted. What industry do you work in now? I work in the entertainment industry at Creative Artists Agency (CAA), an entertainment and sports agency based in Los Angeles. I started with the company as an assistant in the entertainment marketing division and am now an executive, representing corporate brands in the entertainment space. We watch trends and create and execute marketing plans that leverage power of entertainment, pop culture, and social media. How has "A"s' Academy helped you in your career? In my job, we work in teams quite a bit and the culture stresses collaboration and helpfulness to your colleague. These were the same principles expressed at "A"s' Academy—generally sharing information freely about how you handle situations. Throughout my entire career this has been a key point. Also, as the "A" of a chapter, that position is not something you can block out an hour of your calendar to do the job. That was something we talked about a lot at the Academy. You never knew when your chapter or brother may need you. This holds true in my industry as well. My career is a lifestyle and I'm grateful that the Academy prepared me for that mindset. Brendan Shields-Shimizu, Southern California '07 2016 Academy attendees took time to thank all of the donors who generously support the "A"s' Academy.

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