Growing up as an only child wasn’t bad — just quiet. No chaotic Saturday mornings, no backyard tackle football, no older sibling to show me the ropes, no hand-me-downs. Small losses, maybe, but they added up. I learned early on that, even absent siblings, I come alive around people, whether it be through school or in sports leagues.
Then the COVID pandemic brought its own set of challenges. Instead of hanging out in person after school, my friends and I huddled in our respective bedrooms playing video games and speaking through headsets. Once a lively, talkative and attentive student, I returned to eighth grade classes and found myself having difficulty talking to the people next to me. It was not that I disliked them or I did not know them. I had just forgotten how.
I enrolled at the University of Missouri in August 2025, excited to enjoy all college life had to offer but also eager to find a close-knit group of friends who I could count on. For years, I found community through sports, befriending fellow baseball players on the high school team. But outside of intramural sports leagues, baseball was no longer a conduit to friendship. I decided to look at Greek letter fraternities to join on campus.
Greek life at Mizzou is a major part of campus culture. More than 7,500 students, or roughly 27%, of the student population participate in fraternities or sororities. I heard it could be a great opportunity to find friends, build leadership skills and complete service projects with like-minded peers, so I made the rounds during Rush Week. I quickly found my brothers at Zeta Beta Tau.
As with most prospective members in their first year of college, I was drawn to the idea of finding a consistent support system of male mentors; that can be hard to find outside of fraternities. But beyond that, I did not know what to expect. Everyone has heard stories—some good, some bad. What I found at ZBT shattered my previous conception.
The night before receiving my bid, I texted the president of the chapter to share my intent to join because I was impressed with how well they treated everyone who entered the house. I spoke with sophomores who told of older brothers passing down clothes that never fit, a brotherhood experience I never had growing up as an only child.
Opinion: I was a COVID kid. My fraternity has made all the difference.
Growing up as an only child wasn’t bad — just quiet. No chaotic Saturday mornings, no backyard tackle football, no older sibling to show me the ropes, no hand-me-downs. Small losses, maybe, but they added up. I learned early on that, even absent siblings, I come alive around people, whether it be through school or in sports leagues.
Then the COVID pandemic brought its own set of challenges. Instead of hanging out in person after school, my friends and I huddled in our respective bedrooms playing video games and speaking through headsets. Once a lively, talkative and attentive student, I returned to eighth grade classes and found myself having difficulty talking to the people next to me. It was not that I disliked them or I did not know them. I had just forgotten how.
I enrolled at the University of Missouri in August 2025, excited to enjoy all college life had to offer but also eager to find a close-knit group of friends who I could count on. For years, I found community through sports, befriending fellow baseball players on the high school team. But outside of intramural sports leagues, baseball was no longer a conduit to friendship. I decided to look at Greek letter fraternities to join on campus.
Greek life at Mizzou is a major part of campus culture. More than 7,500 students, or roughly 27%, of the student population participate in fraternities or sororities. I heard it could be a great opportunity to find friends, build leadership skills and complete service projects with like-minded peers, so I made the rounds during Rush Week. I quickly found my brothers at Zeta Beta Tau.
As with most prospective members in their first year of college, I was drawn to the idea of finding a consistent support system of male mentors; that can be hard to find outside of fraternities. But beyond that, I did not know what to expect. Everyone has heard stories—some good, some bad. What I found at ZBT shattered my previous conception.
The night before receiving my bid, I texted the president of the chapter to share my intent to join because I was impressed with how well they treated everyone who entered the house. I spoke with sophomores who told of older brothers passing down clothes that never fit, a brotherhood experience I never had growing up as an only child.
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