Alpha Tau Omega - University of Florida

p. 3 University of Florida Success Through Connections A Life-Changing Brotherhood for Smith Meyers '13 S mith Meyers '13 ran successful campaigns for Senate President and Student Body President in UF Student Government, and he'll be the first to stress that he didn't win alone. His ATΩ Brothers eagerly supported him in each election, to which he credits the time he invested in their brotherhood relationships. Their enthusiastic support was evocative of the strong first impressions that Alpha Omega made in Smith's freshman year. Smith's fathers and grandfathers were all in fraternities, which inspired him to join Greek life at UF. "I enjoyed every conversation that I had at ATΩ, and we discussed getting involved both in the fraternity and on campus," Smith recalled. "ATΩ was the first fraternity on campus, and the more I learned about our history and values, I could see myself as part of the brotherhood." "ATΩ at UF gave me many opportunities that I might not have had otherwise, from leadership roles and an alumni network to my friends and current business partner." Serving as Pledge Class President expanded Smith's passion for leadership, and he worked his way up to Worthy Master before getting involved in Student Government. During Smith's term, Alpha Omega won the national True Merit award for the first time in several years and was named UF's Chapter of the Year. Smith's favorite memories, however, are the times between those successes when Brothers simply spent time together in the Tau Mansion. "When Cole Sones '13 and I were in Chapter leadership, we would be up late at night talking about working together one day," Smith said. "Now we're partners at an investment company." Smith worked at a cybersecurity startup in D.C. after college, then a UF connection recruited him to a real estate company in New York. About a year later, Cole, who had already joined Blake Investment Partners in Tampa, recruited Smith to come work with him—just like they once dreamed. "We've now worked together for almost five years and have both become the two first equity partners in the company. I am very thankful for how things turned out." Today, Smith is on the Alpha Omega Board of Directors, helping him stay connected to both active Brothers and alumni from all over; he still leans on alumni, such as Howe Wallace '74, who were there in his college years. Smith also runs into plenty of alumni in the Tampa Bay area and enjoys doing business with his Brothers. Smith and his wife have three young children and are active in their local church, Holy Trinity Presbyterian. "ATΩ at UF gave me many opportunities that I might not have had otherwise, from leadership roles and an alumni network to my friends and current business partner," Smith said. "It's interesting to think that I wouldn't have any of that if I hadn't joined ATΩ, and that's something meaningful to me and that I'm very, very thankful for." You can connect with Smith at smith.meyers56@gmail.com. The Value of the Fraternity Experience Fraternities empower students and provide a strong support system. Members are more academically engaged than their peers. Members experience greater gains in learning and graduate at higher rates than their peers. When members seek help, they are twice as likely to turn to a brother than anyone else. Brothers are more connected to their local communities, and they spend more time volunteering than nonaffiliated students. 83% of members say their confidence in their leadership skills increased because of their membership. Back row, from left: Chaplain Matthew Giordan '22, House Manager Daniel Sneller '22, Recruitment Chairman Jude Powell '23, Philanthropy Chairman Cameron Bailey '23, and Historian Carson Pointer '23. Front row: New Member Educator AJ Sands '22, Vice President Nicholas Krupa '22, President Matthew Whaller '22, Treasurer Aidan Romance '22, and Scribe Hayes Greep '22. Not pictured: Risk Manager Andrew Longobardi '22 and Social Chairman Hayden McEwan '23. CHAPTER OFFICERS ð ð ð ð ð ð

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