Alumni – In this update I will cover the following topics:
– Stephen Deftos Memorial Tree
– Deftos/Chang/Schad Pledge Activity
– Arizona & USC Pre-Game Tailgates
– Alumni/Active Career Night
– PUSH America Summer 2014 Participants
– Founder’s Day
Stephen Deftos Memorial Tree
The Stephen Deftos Memorial Tree was re-planted a week and half ago. It’s a Blue Elderberry tree. A special thanks to all the alumni donations that made the re-planting possible. The Deftos family (mother Linda, brother and sister) plan to hold the re-dedication ceremony on Saturday, 11/9 at either 9:30 or 10am. This is the same day as the USC football game. Kickoff is set for noon so the plan is to do the re-dedication ceremony and then head back to the Chapter House for the pre-game tailgate. So far we have rsvp’s from some alumni and we expect to also have some of the actives present.
Please let me know asap if you plan to attend via email.
Deftos/Chang/Schad Activity
As is customary every semester we hold the Deftos/Chang/Schad Activity in memory to 3 Brothers that were taken away way too young. This year’s pledge activity will be conducted on Friday, 11/8 at 8pm. Plan is to meet at the newly re-planted Deftos Tree at 7:45 pm. We have purposely scheduled it the night before the Deftos Memorial Tree Re-Dedication to hopefully get a good alumni turnout. We currently have 13 pledges that will be participating. Please email us asap if you plan to attend the pledge activity.
Arizona & USC Pre-Game Tailgates
As communicated in other email communications, we are looking for alumni to volunteer to sponsor ($100 donation) pre-game tailgates in exchange for a parking space at the Chapter House. Here is where we stand for the last 2 games of the season:
11/2 vs UofA: JD Mason, (Still Need 2-3 more sponsors)
11/9 vs USC: Scott Keller, Zein Obaji, Todd D (Still need another sponsor)
Let me know asap if you’d like to sponsor either game.
Alumni/Active Career Night
As of last fall, the Alumni Association and the Actives have been developing a Career Mentoring program to facilitate conversations that could have a tremendous impact on the careers of our youngest brothers. The most successful component of the program so far have been informal dinners at the house to allow casual Q&A on any topic for job interviews to Graduate School applications for many different career paths. A second general Career Night is scheduled for Sunday, 11/24 at 4 pm and all alumni are encouraged to attend. Zachary’s pizza will be provided by the Chapter.
If you have any interest in the this event or the potential career nights of next Spring, please email us. Ryan Panos is leading this effort.
PUSH America Summer 2014 Participants
The following Undergrad Actives have applied and been accepted to PUSH America Summer Events and are beginning the process of fundraising to participate. Each has written a bio and included their fundraising link:
Josh Stroud (Journey of Hope Cyclist / Spring ’11) – I’m a 4th-year in Mechanical Engineering, and will probably work at a startup when I graduate. This semester, I am studying abroad at Hong Kong University. The life-changing stories of Pi Alpha’s from year’s past inspiredme to dedicate the summer of 2014 to the Journey of Hope. To spread awareness about JOH, I launched a cool youtube video. Please support my journey by clicking the link below and donating.
Michael Judy (Journey of Hope Cyclist / Spring ’11) – I’m a 4th year Mechanical Engineering student from Rocklin, CA. I joined Pi Kapp during my freshman year. I first heard about JOH from my big brother (Ethan Wicklund), who was in the middle of his training and fundraising during my pledge semester. Over my 3 years at Pi Kapp, I have heard the countless life changing stories from Brothers that have participated. I see this as an opportunity to impact people’s lives across the country. I’m excited about this once in a lifetime opportunity and hope you will support my fundraising efforts by clicking the link below:
DJ Weeks (Gear Up Florida Cyclist / Spring ’13) – I am a 2nd year Mechanical Engineering student from Wheaton, IL. I joined Pi Kapp last semester, Spring ’13. After talking to brothers about these Summer events, I have decided to do Gear Up Florida as the first step in my goal to participate in the Journey of Hope. Throughout high school, I worked to support cancer research through event such as Relay for Life because, as the son of a cancer survivor, I saw the impact that my actions had on those around me. PUSH American has shown me the same impact that I can have on people with disabilities. I’m excited to have the opportunity to change people’s lives for the better and hope you will support me in my fundraising efforts. See my link below.
Andrew Lu (Gear Up Florida Cyclist / Fall ’13) – I am currently pledging the Chapter and plan to major in MCB, Neurobiology in Spring ’17. The main reason I joined the Chapter besides the guys was the opportunity to participate in philanthropy through PUSH America. I’m an avid bicyclist so the opportunity to raise money and awareness through Gear Up Florida is perfect. I hope that you will help support me in achieving this goal by donating via my link below.
Hope that you each will consider making a donation to their fundraising efforts.
Founder’s Day
Founder’s Day is set for Saturday, 12/7. It will be held at the David Browne Center on the west side of campus near Shattuck. Cost and agenda still to be communicated. Let us know if you are interested in attending via an email reply.
Look forward to seeing some of you at the events outlined above.
Juan Serrano
Pi Kappa Phi Alumni Association
