The Truth about APO Recruitment! By Toni Mastropieri

“Wait, So Why Should I Join APO?”

The amount of times I’ve heard that question in the past few months has been crazy…but also makes me super excited and happy. As one of APO’s fall recruitment chairs, I’ve definitely met some awesome people who I think will bring quality ideas to and do great things for our chapter, and our fraternity as a whole. I’ve been asked about service hours, different projects, the vibe of our fraternity, my favorite color, my celebrity crush, and why I joined APO. I’ve done my best to answer all of these questions, and I know my awesome co-chairs Kate and Christian have been doing the same.

So why should you join APO? I can’t tell you that it’s right for everyone. I mean, it is, but not everyone knows it! I can’t tell you that you have join right now, in this very moment. But, I can tell you my story, and why I came to the decision to pledge in Fall 2012. I joined APO as a sophomore, and as I kept on telling those who stopped by our table, I WISH that I knew about APO as a freshman.

I love doing service – I’ve done some type of service ever since I was little. As a first year, I joined a bunch of different clubs, some that I’m still a part of, others that didn’t really fit what I was looking for. I couldn’t, however, seem to find something that I truly fell in love with nor could I find something that focused on service. I remember the first time I heard about APO, and I thought “Hmm, maybe that might be for me!” It kept coming into my life. Three of my friends joined, and I heard all about APO from them. The summer before sophomore year, I was really excited to learn more about APO, and when the involvement fair came around, I knew that I would be putting my name down.

I haven’t looked back at all; ok, lies…when I look back on last year, all I do is smile. I’ve found my family in APO, and even though I studied abroad in the spring (so I was really only in APO a semester before this year), I’ve always felt welcome. I love talking about APO and all of the great things we do, all of the great friends I’ve met, and just everything in general.

From planning the different recruitment activities, finding rooms, calling Papa John’s five times in the past week, and much more, sure, recruitment has been stressful. But, it’s also been one of the best experiences I’ve had in college. I think I’m a pretty outgoing person, but this position really pushed me to put myself out there, to be totally silly, and to have a blast and a half. I really hope that you all decide to join APO, because honestly, it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve made while at college.

I’m a big fan of taking calculated – or not so calculated – risks. College is a time to experience some things that you never would have thought about before stepping on campus. So take that risk; it’s beyond worth it. Cause APO has Awesome People (and is an awesome) Organization that truly Love Friendship and Service. So why not join APO? I hope you do!