Brad Kastrup |
|
A Fraternity Man
When I decided to attend UE, the thought of joining a fraternity was the furthest thing from my mind. Looking back at my fours years of college, the best decision I ever made was becoming a member of Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI). FIJI opened doors to all of the opportunities that I have had since my freshman year.
I learned some much about being a leader through my many roles in the chapter. I had the opportunity to serve on the chapter executive board for two years, and I became the first FIJI to serve as the UE Inter-Fraternity Council president which taught me how to communicate within a group of people with very different opinions and interests. More than anything, being a FIJI taught me values that I try to live every day of my life. Each day, I strive to pursue excellence in both my professional and personal life. An Intramural Supervisor
Throughout my freshman year I worked as an intramural referee to earn extra spending money. I was already out there every night watching or playing games, so it worked perfectly. At the end of my first semester, I had the opportunity to become an intramural supervisor - a position normally reserved for upperclassmen. I jumped on the opportunity for more money and more responsibility.
As a supervisor, I made sure that all of the school's intramural sports programs went smoothly. I helped train and manage the student referees, maintained all the equipment, and even broke-up of a few student fights over the years. Each year my biggest responsibility was helping coordinate UE's Annual Bike Race, which consisted of 16 teams and over 120 student participants. |
A MascotDuring my junior year, I was convinced to join the UE Cheerleading Team. I played sports in high school and thought this was a great opportunity to physically work hard at something I had never done. During my work with the Braves and Cubs, I spent plenty of time performing as a mascot as B-Rush and Cubby T-Bear.
I thought being a mascot would be impossible when I started working in the development office. However, our campus community spent months determining the new look for our mascot, Ace Purple, and they wanted to make sure the new Ace lived up to the hype. I decided to volunteer as Ace, when we failed to find a worthy student. I love college basketball and making a fool of myself, so this was a perfect match. Being a mascot is a great way to express yourself without anyone else knowing it's you. It's a great workout and I enjoy every time I get to be a big footed, glove wearing, giant headed real life cartoon. I hope that wherever my professional career takes me that I can have a chance to be that organizations mascot at least once. A Volunteer
I spent a lot of my time volunteering around the Evansville community. As a FIJI, we always worked to support the local Easter Seals Rehab Center. Many of our Halloweens were spent dressing up in costume going door-to-door collecting canned food for the Tri-State Food Bank. I also spent a year as a mentor in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program. Currently, I am trying to find new areas in the community to get involved. The AIDS Resource Group and the Ronald McDonald House are both organizations that I am devoting time to this year.
|