Dear Brothers, 

I hope all of you guys have been staying safe given the circumstances we face during this very unprecedented time. My name is Ricardo Flores and I’m currently studying Marketing at The University of Toledo. I currently serve as Website Chair and also IFC Delegate. Coming into SigEp was something of a new scenery too me especially coming from such a small town that only had corn fields anywhere you went. When I came out to recruitment in Spring’ 20 I felt that Brotherly Love that SigEps know and love. I remember going out to recruitment even when there was snow piling up next to Parks Tower. We can all agree that SigEp has changed our lives no matter how little it may have been. Though I may have joined 2 semesters ago it truly feels like a blessing!

I, like most, wouldn’t consider myself someone who would flourish without having likeminded people next to them; I know one thing for sure is that people in our great chapter certainly play a major cause. I would say that the number one reason that my success in college is occurring is because I’m around many great leaders and role models on our beautiful campus. We all know that SigEps strive to be better versions of themselves daily! We have these strives because of our Virtue, Diligence, and Brotherly Love. Without it I would say that we would be lost and simply have no goal to achieve. 

One cardinal principle that is truly playing a big role in my collegiate life is Diligence. When I first joined I was truly scared. Many questions ran through my head such as, “Do I fit in?”, “Am I really getting something out of this?”, and even “Where and when am I going to find my life-long friends everyone talks about?”. I knew that I needed to get involved too truly get those impactful results that everyone talks about. As previously stated, I joined back. in Spring ’20 when 1/2 way through the semester everything practically “shut down”. This is in fact when COVID-19 hit. 

When COVID hit all I remember was how much I was going to miss out on stuff, but one thing for sure is that I did many mini projects while I was able to attend in-person. We can all agree that COVID-19 has effected us in one way or another and sometimes we need to take a step back and just breathe. Over the course of the pandemic I facilitated a Mental Health Module in conjunction with UT’s Counseling Center. I wanted to make sure my brothers knew that we all would get through this together and that UT offers great services. 

Currently, my highlight throughout this time has been helping out in anyway I can given that I’m not living on campus and have minimal options to visit our chapter house. Given the circumstances I still wanted to remain true to myself and make sure I can still do things in a remote setting, (like many of you out there). I was very grateful to serve on Bid Committee this current semester as-well. Not only did I assist our VP of Recruitment conduct Balanced Man Scholarship interviews, but also remain socially present when it came to our social media. 

COVID-19 has not only tested us in general but truly made the creative brains in our chapter think of ways to stay relevant. I have  had the privilege of working for both VP’s of Recruitment and Communications;  I came up with ideas that I believe help bring in our great New Members of Fall’21. I wanted to create Instagram story post that would tell our viewers our “why” when it came to why we joined in the first place. Below we have an example of our Chapter Counselor joining in the help

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Though COVID is still a very relevant thing we must remember that at the end of the day we can rely on our brothers for which we are bonded to by our sacred bond.