My first year at Tulane, I felt something was missing. In high school, I created a few start-up projects — a board game and a podcast — which made me feel active and involved in my community. In college, I was making friends and doing well in school, but this entrepreneurial part of my identity stayed dormant.
AKPsi gave me the tools, and the community, to wake it. During rush, I told a AKPsi brother, Zane, about my experience in entrepreneurship. He responded with genuine interest, not the usual dismissal or empty words of support. After initiation, Zane gave me a tour of Tulane’s start-up club, and introduced me to entrepreneurial peers in professors.
In the middle of the semester, a new idea began brewing in my head: I wanted to create a new student newspaper with writers and editors across the country. Zane was the first person I called. He gave me advice, critiques, but more importantly, support. Working hard for something that doesn’t exist yet is immensely difficult, but just a few people who genuinely believe in you can give you the motivation you need.
By the end of my Sophomore year, I built a website, edited articles and brought together a team to create the first issue of The College Contemporary. I brought copies to one of the last AKPsi meetings, feeling timid and nervous but with just enough bravery to share what my team created. The other brothers of AKPsi each eagerly grabbed copies and praised my project. It gave me a feeling of such immense gratitude, trying to express it through words does not do it justice.
Just a week ago, Zane reached out to ask about my project, even though he is now graduated from Tulane. It showed me that the support you get from AKPsi doesn’t just last four years — it lasts a lifetime.
By Bobby Becker
