Nineteen-year-old Alejandro Villarreal is a sophomore marketing major here at UNT. As a member of the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity, Alex is known for his outgoing personality and determination to succeed. With over 800 followers on Twitter and 900+ friends on Facebook, many UNT students have been curious as to who Alex truly is underneath his frat boy image.
I’ve had the rewarding- albeit interesting- experience of being Alex’s close friend for the last few months, and I can honestly say that his character reaches beyond the stereotypical “frat boy” (although he still dresses like one).
For example, he has life goals that carry him far beyond the boundaries of college. “I want to have a successful career in marketing,” he told me. “I want to be a marketing director for Insomniac Events, which is the corporation that has fueled my love for EDM [Electronic Dance Music]. I want to be successful enough that money will never be an issue.”
In between his academics and fraternity involvement, Alex enjoys a variety of hobbies. “I play pool. Oh my God, I play pool. I play pool, and I DJ, and I love raving. I hang out with my main crew, the Corporation- wow, that name sounds so lame aloud. I hang out with my main boys, Omar, Lane, and Drew. We have a blast together.”
Family is also a huge part of Alex’s life; he has one older brother, two nieces, and one nephew whom he loves more than anyone else. He hopes to use the ideals his brother has instilled in him to one day start his own family. “My brother has taught me what it means to be a man, and part of that is taking care of my future family. I want to get married and have two to four kids once I get my career rolling.”
Part of that future family includes a future wife. “I want her to be a good partner, a good cook, and a good mother to my kids,” he laughed. “She’s going to have to be able to handle me and the kids at the same time because I’ll just be another one of them.”
Although he has always had these goals for his future, his past love life has not always been smooth-sailing. His worst breakup, for example, changed his life in many ways. “It was my fault,” he said wistfully. Â “I wasn’t ready for a serious relationship. I ignored her to create distance between us, and it was not good. It was not good at all.”
However, he has learned from his mistakes, and the experience changed him for the better. “I wasn’t the best…but now I’ve grown to be more sensitive. Â I had to go through that time for that to happen. It’s crazy, but now I know.” He grew up so much, in fact, that she took him back. “We’re back together now, though, so it’s all good.”
When I asked him why he had joined Phi Kappa Tau, then, since the typical image of the frat houses include partying and many one night stands, he immediately jumped to his and his brothers’ defense. “Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t just about the parties and girls,” he insisted. “It’s about being a part of something bigger, a brotherhood. I know these guys are people I will have lifelong friendships with.”
And for my final million dollar question, I asked him what he would do if he won the almost $1 billion Powerball. His answer was simple: “I’d throw a penthouse party in downtown Dallas, blow easily fifty grand in one night. I would also buy myself a Nissan GTR and my own club. Or a pool hall…because I play pool a lot.”Â