Please tell us about your career or profession.

I am an attorney at Barnes & Thornburg LLP in Indianapolis, Indiana where I practice in the Firm’s Government Services and Finance Department.

How has volunteering helped you live your values?

We have an obligation as brothers of Phi Kappa Psi to inspire our fellow brothers to be their best selves and to live in a manner that demonstrates the attributes of a scholar, a humanitarian, and a man of unshakable integrity. Working with the young men in Indiana Iota has allowed me to fulfill that obligation beyond my time as an undergraduate. I have tried as an advisor to both model that values oriented life and to share what it means to me.   Volunteering has also allowed me express my gratitude for all that being a member of our Fraternity has meant in life by protecting and promoting that experience for a new generation of men – I think in that way I reaffirm my commitment to what it means to be a Phi Kappa Psi.

What inspires you to volunteer for Phi Kappa Psi and support our members?

My fraternity experience was a very important time in my life because it was the most “belonging” I had ever felt and I learned so much about how to solve problems, how to work with others, and how to live a life with purpose. That experience is what has kept me involved over the years as an alumnus, I want my undergraduate brothers to have a brotherhood that makes them feel appreciated and supported and I want them to operate an organization that challenges them and calls them to perform beyond their own expectations because that is what the Fraternity did for me.

How has your volunteer experience shaped you personally or professionally?

My life is so much richer for all of the friends that I have continued to make in the Fraternity beyond my time as an undergraduate both other alumni and undergraduates (who eventually all become alumni themselves). I love keeping up with generation after generation of chapter brothers and the opportunity to stay engaged with all of those guys socially has made me a happier person, it’s also rewarding to see them succeed.

What do you hope our members will take from their fraternity experience?

I hope that each member of the Fraternity comes away from their experience understanding that they are capable of so much good if they only choose to apply their talents to the task of making their community and the lives of others better. The sense of a higher calling beyond oneself and one’s interests is so core to what Letterman and Moore believed about life that I hope each young man sets out with that sense. I also hope they come away feeling like they matter to a whole large family of brothers, it matters so much to know you have a network of support and friendship behind you as you set out to tackle the challenges of life, at its best the Fraternity is that home base for all of its members.

If you could give your college-self one piece of advice, what would it be?

Take care of yourself – it’s really easy to lose track of getting healthy meals, going for a walk, sleeping enough when you have what feels like a thousand things going, but you can’t be the best you for everyone else if you aren’t doing the maintenance work. You have to love you before you can do your best caring for others.