Leading Through Service
When you first meet Sunny Bhakta of Chi class it's easy to tell that he's a goal oriented guy, but it wasn't always this way. As he sat on his bed looking over notes from the day's lectures we asked him about his work ethic. When addressing his professionalism he says, "Becoming a brother of Delta Epsilon Psi has changed my life in many ways. I've gained valuable skills that affect my professionalism in a positive manner. I'm more compassionate about my work, and I've matured in a way that's unique to someone who has had the life experience of joining our fraternity. I find myself thinking more often that anything is possible, rather than second guessing my actions. I've found that through hard work and conviction (in other words two of our pillars; discipline and commitment) you can triumph over the most difficult obstacles." He continues to comment on how joining Delta Epsilon Psi has driven him to improve his grades and overall performance here at the University of Texas.
As a first generation college student this is one of his top priorities, however, being a first generation college student was also a major disadvantage. He comments, "When I joined this fraternity I was not only looking for a strong network of local friends, but also a strong network of colleagues who shared common interests and could help me excel academically." What he didn't realize was that he would learn more from Delta Epsilon Psi than just what his brothers could teach him scholastically. In his efforts to get accepted to the pharmacy school he would find that the most valuable assets he would attain from Delta Epsilon Psi would be his communication and time management skills. When asked to embellish upon this concept he had this to offer, "As a brother of Delta Epsilon Psi you host a variety of non-profit service oriented events. In order for these to work you have to go out and engage the community, in other words you have to communicate with local businesses and people in order to be successful. When you first start you often shadow older brothers as they visit local business's from the small mom and pop stores to the larger brand name companies. As you talk with managers and executive you develop these people skills along with a foundation for communicating ideas and influencing people. Essentially, by working through these service projects I developed very pertinent professional skills and practices that I could apply to other aspects of my life. Taking what I learned I then used that to counter the disadvantages I faced being a first generation college student (as I mentioned earlier).
I then was able to excel not only in school but also my personal life. I worked as an undergraduate teaching assistant for a while, and eventually earned my pharmacy technician certification allowing me to work at my current job for CVS." As you can see, Sunny Bhakta has made the best out of his experiences from Delta Epsilon Psi. He has used the tools that he was given, and the skills that he had learned and applied them to not only his personal, and academic lives but also to his professional one. Through service and hard work he has become a well-rounded, professional, and proficient person. As we concluded our interview all he had to say was, "I would never change my decision to join Delta Epsilon Psi. Without it I sincerely believe that I would not be where I am today and all I can say is I appreciate everything that this fraternity has done for me over the last few years." It just goes to show that through helping others you can learn life-long skills that will benefit you years to come.
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Jason Pinkerton
The Founding Chapter
