Sigma Phi Epsilon - Colorado School of Mines

Page 2 A ndrew chose to join a fraternity to expand his community and meet similarly motivated students—SigEp stood out for its reputation. Andrew loved living in the house for two years and being around his best friends every day. "There are countless moments where my brothers made going through school and life better." His fondest memories are of formal in Breckenridge and a sunset hike with his recruitment class freshman year. At SigEp, Andrew built strong connections with his brothers through shared values and goals. As a recent alumnus, Andrew became Colorado Delta's Chapter counselor. "It's very common for members to graduate and lose contact, so I considered this an opportunity to set an example of what it looks like to stay involved and continue supporting the Chapter." He has enjoyed his role so far and has been building relationships with the other alumni volunteers, offering guidance to the president and chaplain, and seeking potential new officer mentors. His biggest goal is to foster stronger relationships between undergraduate members and recent alumni. "Although our Chapter is exceptional in most areas of operation, we struggle to utilize the knowledge and experiences of our volunteers effectively," he shared. "If we can get better at doing that, we would be able to elevate our standards further, provide a better member experience, and have a larger positive impact on our campus." After graduating, Andrew planned to continue on at Colorado School of Mines to complete a master's degree in mechanical engineering. However, working at Lawrence Livermore National Lab led him to pursue a Ph.D. in operations research with engineering because its coursework will help him build a stronger skill set for energy system optimization and promote greater change. "I love my current projects involving concentrating solar-thermal power system modeling and home battery energy storage," he shared. "The work can be challenging, but it's very rewarding. I hope to continue contributing to renewable energy research throughout my career." Andrew's younger brother is on the pre-med track at North Central College in Illinois, where he has wrestled for the school's team for the past two years. Andrew's family has been very supportive throughout his life. "I wouldn't be nearly as successful nor have taken the path that I am on without all the help and guidance I have received, so I'm very grateful." In his free time, Andrew loves snowboarding and has recently picked up tennis. He has also been trying to pick up reading again and enjoys game nights with his SigEp brothers in the Denver area a few times a month. You can connect with him at aaikman@mines.edu. President Eric Wilson '94 Treasurer Dean Willis '72 Vice President Cameron Afkhami '10 VP of Relations Geoff Lai '09 Chapter Counselor Andrew Aikman '23 Balanced Man Steward | Mentor for Learning Communities Owen Norwell '23 Mentor for Finance Ben Rowse, Nebraska-Lincoln '14 Mentor for Recruitment Matt O'Donnell, Canisius '10 Mentor for Epsilon Challenge Kyle Ferguson, Houston '17 Resident Scholar Holden Anderson '23 General AVC Members Jared Canada, Memphis-Lambuth '07 Cory Grady '08 Parker Keating, Cleveland State '17 Faculty Fellows Derek Morgan, Evansville '94 Patrick Kohl Kenneth Osgood Andrew Aikman '23 with his dad and stepmom (Adam and Jessica) at his May 2023 graduation. Fostering Relationships ANDREW AIKMAN '23 SHARES HIS GOALS AS CHAPTER COUNSELOR AVC BOARD

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