DETROIT (October 19, 2015) — As one of Alpha Kappa Psi’s student colonies, Wayne State continues to charge ahead in its endeavor to become a chartered chapter. With a goal set for spring 2016, they are well on their way.
Pratik Patel, current colony president, didn’t think of himself as an individual who would join a social organization on his campus, but rather immediately started looking into professional business opportunities. He recounted the first mention of Alpha Kappa Psi came from “one of my sister’s friends from Chicago. “He told me about Alpha Kappa Psi and how he started it at his school and all that it helped him.” As time went on, he became increasingly intrigued, researching how he could bring AKPsi to Wayne State.
Patel’s journey from thought to action has been “interesting and educational.” As with any large scale endeavor, he quickly realized that the hours weren’t always a regular business day’s work. However, those long days became consistently rewarding when fellow peers began joining him and he could see the impact Alpha Kappa Psi would have on the Wayne State community.
“It is a time dedication, it is not like a 9 to 5 job, you can be up until 2AM working on Alpha Kappa Psi, but it is also a very rewarding experience,” said Patel. “The amount of people ready to help you is baffling. There will be times that you feel like giving up, but remember what you want out of this fraternity and why you want to be a brother of the oldest and largest business fraternity. I can promise you when you accomplish that first event and it is a success the feeling is one I can’t even explain, it is something you have to experience for yourself.”
When Patel traveled to regional officer training, he met many brothers from difference colleges. He met many other individuals who were in the same place as him; trying to establish a colony. They were able to share ideas and work together to solve mutual hurdles, and it reminded him why he wanted to be a brother of Alpha Kappa Psi. He was reminded of the story his sister’s friend told him, “how this fraternity can turn a freshman coming into a college with a 2.5 and turn him into a great and exceptional leader.”