Sigma Phi Epsilon - University of Florida

University of florida, sigma Phi ePsilon information www.flalPha.org SigEp Gator Heart for alUmni and friends of the florida alPha ChaPter no. 42 • fall 2022 F ootball season is back, and the Gators have a lot of potential for success this fall. (We will be in for some nail biters for the rest of the season given the strength of the SEC!) If the Gators follow our Chapter's lead in raising the bar and continuously improving, we'll be in good shape come the end of the season. Game Day Captain Needed! Speaking of football, with Mark Warner '76 passing the torch of the alumni room, we are excited to hear what would benefit our alumni the most on game days. If you are interested in volunteering as a game day captain to open and close the alumni room, please reach out to John Sandstrom '74 or me. You will be rewarded with prime tailgating space in front of the house for any game at which you volunteer. Summer House Updates In other news, we had another very successful summer and a great start to the fall semester thanks to the help of many volunteers and alumni. John started the summer off strong by completing a laundry list of projects at the house with the help of our undergraduate brothers, who take pride in our home. We also fully repaired the roof before the rainy season kicked in. Volunteering Matters The beginning of the fall led to some tremendous accolades for some of our newest volunteers. Congratulations to Luis Enrique Fernández '19 and Conor Deterding, Nebraska Alpha '19 for receiving SigEp's Outstanding New Volunteer Award. All our volunteers have done tremendous work for Florida Alpha, and it is great to see some of our most recent graduates getting involved and making a difference. BMS Banquet and Scholarships In this issue, you will read more about our Chapter's successes. The annual Balanced Man Scholarship Banquet was held in a phenomenal new venue, the Champion's Club at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Also new this year is the Al Alsobrook Memorial Scholarship. A special thanks to Todd Bonlarron '93 for creating this scholarship and to he and Steve Shewbrooks '66 for hosting Al's wife, Betty Alsobrook, who helped Todd award the scholarship to Parker Rossignol '24. Inaugural Golf Tournament - Nov. 5 We hope you will get to meet some of our newest alumni and undergraduates as well as some of your old friends, brothers, and classmates at our inaugural golf tournament and fundraiser on November 5 at Turkey Creek in Gainesville. We plan on having a watch party for the Texas A&M game after the tournament and hope to see you there! Fraternally, Manny Vargas '07 AVC President manny.f.vargas@gmail.com M y name is J.J. Bishop, and I am the Chapter's Regional Director and Volunteer Specialist. My SigEp career began as a freshman in the spring of 2019 when I accepted a bid from South Carolina Alpha Chapter at the University of South Carolina (Go Cocks!). J O I N I N G S I G E P I had spent most of my first semester of college feeling dissatisfied, finding myself with plenty of time on my hands and still hanging out with the same group of people from my high school who had decided to attend USC with me. Joining SigEp changed all of that, and I can safely say it has been one of the most influential decisions of my life thus far. I believe that the Fraternity experience is what you make of it, and during my undergraduate career, I made sure to take full advantage of the opportunities SigEp presented. L E A D E R S H I P O P P O RT U N I T I E S A N D COV I D Within a year of joining, I was able to attend Ruck Leadership Institute, Grand Chapter Conclave, and Carlson Leadership Academy as well as serve my Chapter as vice president of member development. Serving as VPMD at the height of COVID-19 was an unprecedented challenge early on in my collegiate leadership career, yet I am grateful for how this experience helped me learn to adapt to and overcome any situation thrown my way. A Strong Start to Fall Alumni and Undergraduates Work Together to Ensure Florida Alpha Thrives MAKING THE MOST OF THE SIGEP EXPERIENCE R DV S J.J. B I S H O P I S P RO U D TO WO R K W I T H F LO R I D A A L PH A (Continued on page 3)

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