A Brotherhood: A Rewarding Experience
Brotherhood is a term that is easily used but hardly displayed. When I was a freshman, I scoffed at the fact that these twenty individuals in this big room with an oversized projector had unconditional brotherhood.
Fast forward to pledging.
Never in my life was I physically and mentally supported by a group of other individuals. The experiences that tackled my doubt, were strong enough to convince me this brotherhood isn’t fake, it’s real. There was not a single day that went by, when we weren’t goofing around at the library together, or playing endless hours of Madden 2010. We got into fights all the time and laughed it off by wolfing down famous Rutgers Fat Sandwiches. My line brothers were the first to make me realize, that a brother is someone who you can be yourself around and due to that, they will have your back regardless of any situation. They were my first steps to a ladder of brotherhood.
My big Samir Patel, took care of me from my fourth week of college, to this current day even though he graduated. I was his first little brother from Kappa Chapter, and he was the first role model that I ever had in my life. A genius beyond considerable measures, Samir still found a way to connect with me initially, simply because we both shared a passion for trivial things like hair gel. As funny as it sounds, it was a great feeling to be able to talk about something as stupid as hair gel with him for hours. It really convinced me that I could talk to Samir the same way about differential equations, career advice, or even personal problems. He is one of the few people who established himself as a role model in my eyes.
When I received my first simultaneously pledging little brothers (Tarang Darji, Gamma Class, Kappa Chapter & Ronak Chovatiya, Founding Class, Upsilon Colony), I finally had a chance to exert the same influence Samir had on me, on two other individuals. What ended up happening was the complete opposite. My two little brothers ended up becoming my “other” big brothers. Both inviduals taught me what it really means to be a Delta. Having a little brother changed my experience within the fraternity and it affected me personally because I never ever had a little brother in my family. The opportunity to learn and teach was a rewarding experience.
As I trascended to becoming an older member of the fraternity, I always wondered how younger brothers would treat me. I was shocked, after Eta Class, Kappa Chapter crossed as to how respectful they were. Despite our difference in age being only a year, it was a genuine form of admiration that the younger neo’s had for the older brothers. Part of brotherhood is respect, and I can safely admit that my respect for them increased tenfold when I witnessed the etiquitte they brought into our fraternity. It helped me realize that part of being in a brotherhood is learning to respect the ideals of other individuals as well. The experience of being an older brother allowed me to imagine how it feels to be a leader and shape up this experience for life itself.
Those who experience true brotherhood are indeed lucky. Fortunately I was exposed to a new family that will be there for me for the rest of my life. Delta Epsilon Psi is responsible for shaping my ideals and beliefs throughout college, but most importantly introducing me to some of the most influential people I have met in my life. I would never trade these experiences for anything. It is a personal connection that I have with this fraternity, and can safely say that if I was given another chance, I would pledge Delta Epsilon Psi again. And again.
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Karan Parekh
Kappa Chapter
