When I entered Loyola as a first year student, I do not remember being scared or nervous.  I remember being excited.  I was excited to meet new people, start my classes, and get involved.  The first two of these fell right into place.  I got along well with my roommate, met an amazing group of friends, and had great experiences in most of my courses.  However, I could not seem to find a way to get involved that worked for me.  I attended the student organization fair in an attempt to find the right club or group.  I went to meetings for various groups, including Growers’ Guild, Knitting Club, and Ad Club, but none of them made a lasting impact on me.  By the end of my first year, I was beyond satisfied with my grades and friendships, but I still was not as involved on campus as I wanted to be.  Then, at the start of my sophomore year, I was prompted by one of my friends to attend an information session for Alpha Phi Omega, a co-ed service fraternity here at Loyola.  I was impressed with the information session, and I decided to pledge the fraternity.  I would consider this decision to be the best one I have made since choosing to attend Loyola.  My pledging semester was packed with the three pillars of the fraternity: service, fellowship, and leadership.  I volunteered at a soup kitchen multiple times, served at several runs and races, and participated in a beach cleanup at Loyola that was orchestrated by my pledge class.  I created friendships that I know will last through the rest of college and beyond.  For me, it seems that one of my year one goals led to another.  In getting involved with Alpha Phi Omega, I developed a long-term support system of brothers and friends.  I now have access to a group of my peers that shares my love for service and leadership.  My brothers in APO come from many different backgrounds and areas of study, so I am able to gain a wide variety of knowledge and advice from each of them.  Joining Alpha Phi Omega was the best decision I have made since starting at Loyola.  I have become more involved within the Loyola community and the Chicago community than I could have ever imagined.  The insight that I gained from my experience that I would like to pass on to incoming first year students is that you might have to try a wide range of ways to get involved before you find the right fit.  I would not want other students to feel as though they have failed if they have not found their place during their first year.  I would like to give hope and encouragement to first year students that might find themselves a little lost in the sea of opportunities that Loyola has to offer.