Pi Kappa Alpha - University of Texas

www.texaspikes.com 4 Z ack Wagner '14 is the newly elected SMC of Beta Mu Chapter. Elected by his peers, Zack began serving as president in May and will conclude his duties in May 2018. He is a senior studying aerospace engi- neering in the Cockrell School of Engineering. Zack is from Orange County, Calif. Q: Tell our readers where you were born and about your family growing up. A: I was born in Newport Beach, Calif., and raised nearby in Laguna Niguel. My dad also grew up in South Orange County while my mom was raised in Michigan. ey met at the University of Arizona where my dad was a Delta Tau Delta and my mom a Pi Beta Phi. I have three younger siblings–two brothers and a sister. e majority of my youth was spent either playing baseball or hanging out with friends at the beach. We travel quite a bit as a fam- ily and my favorite travel destinations to date have been Tanzania and Vietnam. Q: Being from out of state, what attracted you to the University of Texas and to Pike? A: e University of Texas has seemingly always been on the radar because of its academic pres- tige, impressive athletic programs, and great loca- tion in Austin. Aer considering my other options for college, Texas was an easy choice for the above reasons. I was introduced to Pike via a high school friend who had recently graduated from UT. She introduced me to Toren Berry '13 who is also from Orange County. Toren and his Pike brothers be- came immediate friends of mine. Pike specifically appealed to me because of the mix of in-state and out-of-state members. Q: What is your major and what are your career interests/long-term goals? A: I study aerospace engineering and I am wrapping up an internship at National Instruments in Austin. ere are many avenues in the aerospace industry but working for a major defense contractor such as Lockheed Martin or Boeing has always interested me. More recently, however, I've been considering pursuing a law degree due to an expanding personal interest in intellectual property and patent law. Q: What other Pike or campus leadership roles have you held before seeking Beta Mu's presidency? A: I've enjoyed serving on several Pike committees: alumni relations committee as a freshman, social committee for two years, philanthropy committee, and Best Swamp Builder Award my freshman year. I was a Pike representative to the Interfraternity Council and served as IFC's director of philanthro- py before becoming its executive vice president my junior year. Q: In between your Beta Mu duties, what do you do for fun? A: Outside of Pike and school, I like spending time with friends. In my free time I can usually be found playing sports or enjoying some of Austin's nightlife downtown. Following collegiate and professional sports, especially the Longhorns, is also a favorite activity of mine. Being a SoCal guy, I'm a huge An- gels fan. Q: Who would you invite as the four guests at your fantasy dinner party? A: I would have to go with my home team Angels' Mike Trout, Orville Wright, Abraham Lincoln, and Jesus. Q: What is your most remarkable Pike memory thus far? A: Hands-down favorite memory is the Pike tailgate and game when we beat Notre Dame in 2016. e whole day was phenomenal. e tailgate was very fun and then watching the 'Horns beat the Irish made the day unforgettable. Tailgates are something I think we do especially well at Beta Mu and I'm looking forward to a successful UT football season. I hope we see a lot of alumni at our new tailgate spot this year. Q: What priorities or initiatives do you plan while serving as Beta Mu president? In addition to developing a more strategic rush pro- cess for future years, my priorities include improv- ing pledgeship and active member involvement. Pledgeship was arguably one of my favorite expe- riences in Pike, but I feel we can do a better job of using that time to forge stronger sorority relations, improve our community outreach, and provide bet- ter networking opportunities for our newest mem- bers. e chapter is very excited about the positive momentum of the new Pike house campaign alum- ni are undertaking—bring it on! We greatly appre- ciate alumni involvement and support in strength- ening the chapter. Questions and Answers with New Pike President Zack Wagner '14 Beta Mu elects New Officers B eta Mu Chapter held officer elections at the conclusion of the spring semes- ter. For several years now, Beta Mu has elected its officers to one-year terms on a school year basis. ese officers compose Beta Mu's executive committee and serve from May 2017 to May 2018. In addition to the officers, there are numerous committees (each with a chairman) that keep the chap- ter performing highly: academics, risk man- agement, athletics, campus involvement, recruitment, alumni relations, and philan- thropy. anks to the outgoing officers who served Beta Mu well, in particular immediate past SMC Lucas Anderson '14. President Zack Wagner '14 Laguna Niguel, Calif. Senior, Aerospace Engineering Internal VP Parker Morris '15 Mansfield, Texas Junior, Communications External VP Nicolas ompson '16 Miami, Fla. Sophomore, Mechanical Engineering Treasurer Hunter Hendrix '15 Lake Travis, Texas Senior, Accounting BBA/MPA Secretary Joe Dempsey '15 Ocean, N.J. Junior, Architectural Engineering Sergeant at Arms Mitchell Benson '15 Houston, Texas Junior, Business Social Co-Chairman Landon Hackley '16 Arlington, Texas Sophomore, Biomedical Engineering Social Co-Chairman Garrett Beirne '16 Lake Travis, Texas Sophomore, Sports Management

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