When I was a sophomore, I decided to rush Cornell’s Gamma chapter of Alpha Phi Omega, a national co-ed service fraternity. I didn’t really know much about it other than hearing about APO volunteering at at least half of the clubs whose events I attended as a freshman. Walking into the information session, I didn’t know anybody there, but I was immediately excited about the number of opportunities APO had to offer its members. I quickly became involved in a ton of service events like finger knitting scarves for the homeless in Ithaca, tutoring local students, and engagement in other on-campus organization. Plus, I met so many lovely new people since, many of whom have become my closest friends. I can honestly say that deciding to rush APO was one of the best decisions I made at Cornell so far.
If you might be interested in getting involved in community service too, APO’s Spring 2019 Rush is happening right now and there is still time to get involved. You can find more information about it on their website.
There are a lot of opportunities to get involved on campus whether you are in APO, another service organization, or not. Volunteering to help out your community is a great way to spend your time productively and meaningfully. Especially as students on a college campus, it is really important to dive outside the Cornell bubble a little bit and give back to everything the Ithaca community has given to us!