“John Wesley said, “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.” I believe the most meaningful way to make a positive impact on the future is through investment in and empowerment of others.

I grew up in a small town and graduated from an even smaller high school, and have been blessed with an amazing and loving family, incredible and caring friends, and mentors who have helped create opportunities for me, most of which I wouldn’t otherwise have had.

I am a third generation BTÌìÌÃgraduate. My grandparents, Benny and Doris Brown, and my mother, Tyrene Gardner, along with many other family members, are proud graduates of UCA, and many are or have been educators.

Joining Delta Zeta was more meaningful than I could have ever imagined. It challenged me and motivated me to strive for something greater. The personal and professional connections from Delta Zeta, Greek Life at UCA, and my time as a volunteer for Delta Zeta are among my most treasured friendships.

As an undergraduate, and today, BTÌìÌÃand Greek Life has played a major role in my life. I met my husband John (Sig Ep ’02) during my time at UCA. He’s from Hot Springs, and I’m from Shirley, and we chose to make Conway our home – half way between our childhood homes.

He works at UCA, now as Associate Dean in Student Services, but previously as Director of Fraternity Life. We are both adjunct faculty at UCA. John and I are blessed every day to see others lives become as blessed as ours have been because of UCA.”

My Greek experience was an invaluable experience that has been and continues to be a blessing in my life.

“I try to be thoughtful, calculated and significant with everything I do knowing that the effects of my actions, whether good or bad, will ripple in time.

I have had the good fortune of being surrounded by a loving family and excellent mentors of faith and business. I want to be responsible with those gifts and always remain passionate about leaving things better than the way I found it by empowering others to reach their full potential. I feel even more responsible, now that I have left Arkansas, to provide a good representation of the strong values and communities that have influenced me.

Those that I met in my time at BTÌìÌÃhave continued to be the staples in my life. I’m married to an Alpha Tau, Molly Gardner (Sp ‘10.) We currently live about eight thousand miles away from Conway in the city of Kigali, Rwanda….and believe it or not, our neighbor in Kigali is one of my fraternity brothers. Blayne Sharpe and I both moved to Rwanda several years ago to participate in the post-genocide efforts to restore and grow the economy. It has been an unbelievable ride; full of interesting people, business, culture, strange food, and epic adventure. Although my life has taken an unusual path, my Greek affiliation continues to be an integral part of everyday life. And I expect it to be that way forever.

Being a Sig Tau taught me to go beyond the status quo, to strive for something more and work harder than everyone else to achieve it. I found that in the process, many lives can be changed for the better. Not just your own.”

My Greek experience was, and is, a true blessing.

“My fraternity brothers encouraged me in my growth as a musician. Whenever I played concerts, they were there. Whenever I was working on new material while living in the SigEp house, someone was there to listen. I flourished during and after college because I was a part of a community that cared for me, believed in me, and that I could care for and believe in. Some of my brothers are still my best friends: the men I lean on when life is trying and the standard of character that I aim for.

As an artist, I am in the business of telling stories – through songs, design, performance and presentation of my product. My BTÌìÌÃeducation has helped me tell the story myself and be my own CEO instead of having to rely on other people to do everything for me.”

My Greek experience was unforgettable.

“I love the microphone and a stage. Style and fashion are among my favorite things. I STILL WATCH AMERICAN IDOL RELIGIOUSLY!

I am passionate about impacting the lives of people, I am passionate about Christ, and I am passionate about UCA.

Serving as a Greek leader was so much fun, but there were challenges and sacrifices I made for my fraternity and Greek life. Alpha made me a better man. I have met some of my best friends and awesome men that I call my brothers through Alpha Phi Alpha. Alpha gave me a broader perspective on life and exposed me to a better quality of life. The first time I flew in an airplane was going to our centennial convention in Washington, D.C.”

My Greek experience was inspiring and impactful and truly one of the best things that ever happened to me.

“I found my true calling in life in music. It’s taken me all over the world, from small-town Arkansas girl to world traveler in piano bars. I love to think of life as a blank canvas to create and splatter paint; it all comes together in a beautiful masterpiece.

I’ve met and connected with people from all walks of life from all over the world through music. I love to share what I’ve learned with others. Life to me is about passing it on. Living, learning, creating, and sharing.

Though I travel the world, home will always be Magnet Cove, Arkansas with my beautiful family.”

My Greek experience was one of the lights of my life and an essential ingredient to my well rounded formative years.

“My family makes me extremely happy. I have a beautiful wife, Katie, and a spirited son, Knox, that make all the negative things in life disappear every time I am in their presence.

I opened a business with my two best friends, Dustin Botsford & Drew Pendergraft, who are also my Pi Kappa Alpha pledge brothers. Conway had a void that needed to be filled, so we created a place for fun loving people to feel good. Music is an experience that can take you out of your head and let you just BE, which is worth sharing.

The three of us, and our wives work together and spend most of our days off together as well. Most people in this world do not get an opportunity to belong to a group of people that mesh so well and love each other so much.

I studied International Business and Logistics as a foreign exchange student in Den Haag, Netherland that bordered Amsterdam. Craig Friedman, my pledge brother, accompanied me on this trip. That journey was an experience that humbled me and gave me a new outlook on the world.

I will be that old man that is still telling the same old stories from his college days.”

My Greek experience was righteous and transformational.