For most when the word “fraternity” comes to mind it is almost exclusively synonymous with debauchery and drinking. But despite what many people may think, fraternity men (and sorority women) have more to offer their campus communities than nights resembling scenes out of “Animal House.” Though the Greek system is indeed a social events-based community, it brings more to the table than people would assume. One needn’t look much further than Phi Kappa Sigma member, Osama Khan to showcase the great accomplishments achievable by a member of the Greek system.
Osama recently finished his term as IFC president and currently holds a stellar GPA of 3.911, which he hopes to maintain through to graduation thus earning him summa cum laude status. Scoring in the 97th percentile on his October LSATs he has an excellent shot at the top 6 law schools in the nation but hopes to ideally attend one of the top three: Yale, Stanford, and Harvard. Being such a hard-working, dedicated member of the UCR community, I got the chance to ask him some questions for being our chosen Campus Celebrity of the week.
Year: Senior
Major: Political Science/ Business Administration Minor
Age: 21
Hometown: Huntington Beach
HC: How involved are you on campus?
OK: I’d say I am fairly involved on campus- I wouldn’t go so far as to say I’m VERY involved considering the fact that my involvement has been relatively confined to a specific cluster of organizations on campus, although I do currently work as an operator for UCR and I am a member of a multitude of campus organizations. Since completing my term as IFC president I have been working with the Student Body President Liam Dow on creating a new Community Relations Director position for ASUCR, and I hope to set the foundation for what that position will look like in the future.
HC: What motivated you to get involved in all these college activities?
OK: Attending UCR as a freshman was the first time I attended a public school. Transitioning from a small private school to a school as large and diverse as UCR was definitely an eye-opening experience. When I was a freshman, my brother was attending UCLA and was in a fraternity there- he recommended that I join a fraternity in the fall quarter of my second year. Although I took his advice and did not rush a fraternity my fall quarter, I grew bored rather quickly, and wanted to get involved on campus. I rushed Phi Kappa Sigma my winter quarter and became an active member that spring. During my second year, the president of my fraternity announced that IFC elections were coming up, and he recommended that I run for a position. I was chosen as the IFC Recruitment Chair for 2010-11.
Joining the IFC was the catalyst and largest motivating factor for my increasing involvement on campus. I became more aware of the larger picture of what can be achieved when different organizations bring their members together to work with one another. I started looking past the apparent rivalries between different organizations, and sought to work toward unifying them. This led to me running for, and being elected as, IFC president the following year. After I finished my term as IFC president, my thirst for effecting change could not be quenched, and as such I have been working with ASPB president Liam Dow on the creation of a new Community Relations Director position in ASUCR.
HC: How do you stay on track balancing extra curriculars with school?
OK: The most important factors for balancing my academics with extracurricular activities are time management and prioritization. As a pledge for Phi Kappa Sigma I was taught both how to manage my time well as well as how to prioritize my activities. I continue to use the skills I learned as a pledge in balancing my academics and extra-curricular activities with the rest of my life.
HC: What are some of your career goals and ambitions?
OK: Currently, I aspire to attending one of the top 3 Law Schools in the Nation. I hope to receive my JD from one of these institutions and work as a corporate lawyer in order to eliminate my debt. From there, I have outlined three possible avenues that I would be interested in pursuing. One possibility would be to work toward becoming a partner in a corporate law firm, or be Head of Legal Counsel for a corporation. Another possibility I am very inclined towards is becoming a Federal Justice and presiding over an appeals court. Finally, the third avenue I have considered would be to become a state politician and work toward effecting change for my constituents.
HC: What drives you to succeed? And have you been able to find people on the UCR campus that motivate you?
OK: Coming from a less-than-privileged household, I was always taught the value of education and hard work. I was taught that nothing would be given to me, and that I had to earn my achievements. These lessons never really resonated with me during my high school years, as I was mostly concerned with recreation. However, when I first came to UCR, I was much more aware of how much my present attitude and behavior would affect my future, and the childhood lessons my parents preached began to shape my daily life. As such, I started to pay strict attention to what matters most, and achieved my first 4.0 my fall quarter of freshman year. From then on, I adopted an attitude of it being necessary for me to achieve success so that I may effect positive change in the future, and this is what motivates me to this day.
UCR is an excellent environment for instilling students with motivation. There are so many incredible people that helped me and many others find their motivation, ranging from members of the faculty, administration, and even fellow students in student organizations and classes.
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HC: Finish this sentence, “One day, I hope to be remembered for/as …”
OK: …someone whose accomplishments inspire others to Effect positive change within themselves, their peers, and the community at large.
HC: What do you like to do on your free time when you’re not busy with campus activities or studying?
OK: I found this question humorous since besides studying, participating in campus activities is a large chunk of what I would consider my “free time”. The brotherhood and camaraderie that I have found with my fraternity and the IFC community have created this ‘home away from home’ for me, and I spend a large portion of my ‘free time’ with these people. The other huge chunk of my free time goes to my loving and supportive girlfriend of 2 years (whom I met thanks to the Greek community).
HC: What role has the Greek system played in your college career?
OK: The Greek system has easily played the biggest and most impactful role in my college career. The members and administration have motivated me to always aspire for greatness. If it weren’t for the Greek System I would likely not have achieved what I have here at UCR. If it weren’t for the Greek system I would not have met my amazing girlfriend who has supported me for so long. If it weren’t for the Greek system I would not have received the $4000 scholarship from my fraternity that has helped me pay for fraternity dues as well as other expenses that I may have not been able to pay myself. I owe so much to the Greek system here at UCR, and that is why it felt so great to be able to give back to it as IFC president.
HC: Would you encourage people to join Greek life orgs?
OK: As former IFC Recruitment Chair and President, I HIGHLY encourage all students to look into and join Greek life orgs. There is a saying that goes, “from the outside looking in you could never understand it, and from the inside looking out you could never explain it”. I really hope that everyone explores all of their options here at UCR, as I really do believe that Greek life orgs are immensely beneficial to student life in general.
HC: What is the most common misconception of Fraternity life/fraternity men?
OK: I believe the most common misconception is that fraternities and fraternity men are ne’er–do–wells whose only purpose is to get drunk and degrade women.
HC: Do you feel like you break that stigma?
OK: I definitely feel that I am an example of the untruth of that misconception. Fraternity life is all about managing time and prioritizing what truly matters, while having fun at the same time.
HC: If you could give one piece of advice to future UCR students, what would it be?
OK: My biggest piece of advice to future students would be to STOP MAKING EXCUSES. This does not only apply to making excuses for what others expect- in fact it is more applicable to the excuses we make to ourselves. People have this incredible ability to justify their failures that result from a lack of effort. They explain away all of their inadequacies and become complacent. This is one of the worst things that can happen to a person, it is never acceptable to be complacent; one should always strive to better themselves and those around them. Stop making excuses, and start getting things done.