Alpha Epsilon Nu - University of San Francisco
Fall 2018: NUsletter #2
Bigs/Lils Reveal is one of Alpha Phi Omega's most important and fun events! It is a time where each Pledge is paired up with their Big Brother from our fraternity to receive mentorship, guidance, and support during the pledging process. Though we stress having no expectations leading up to revealing, it is exciting and nerve-wracking to find out who your bigs or littles is. After revealing, the relationship between bigs and littles grow, strengthening the bond between the two. This NUsletter was created to capture the different types of relationships of brothers and pledges in the fraternity.
Prompt 1 (for pairs who got matched this semester): How was Reveal? Were you able to guess who your Bigs/Lils was? How has your relationship developed in the first few weeks? What's one thing you'd like your Bigs/Lils to know?
Prompt 2 (for Brothers who didn't get matched this semester): What do you remember from your own Reveal? How has your relationship developed with your Bigs/Lils? What's one thing you'd like your Bigs/Lils to know?
Reveal had such high energy all around and was really fun to experience. It was different than my previous reveals that I had gone through for another organization. The way they made the pledges find our string which meant our family and then find the socks of the other person was interesting and exciting. It was creative to come up with the finding socks idea and then cover all the bigs bodies with blankets. It was tough at first because I could not see if the socks were the exact match and had to get help from a pbro but it was all good in the end. I had no idea who my bigs was, I was completely surprised when they dropped the blanket. We took lots of pictures and went out to dinner with the Blackout family line. Through that, I was able to meet new brothers and ask them about the process and grow to learn who my family line is.
Throughout the first few weeks, my bigs has helped me so much with the pledging process and is always there for me to check on me. We have hung out a few times for bondings and we have learned so much about each other and I hope we continue to grow closer. She made sure that I was on top of all my requirements so that I am able to make midpoint and continues to check up on me to see how I am doing and makes sure that I am okay. I am forever grateful for my bigs because she has given me so much and I hope one day I can give back to her what she has given to me. This process is definitely stressful and very overwhelming, but it helps knowing that there is someone by my side that has been through this process before and can help guide me through it.
- Shay Soriano, PVL Fall 2018
Reveal has been an amazing and superb night for me. The various events executed before reveal built up most of my excitement that lasted the entire evening. I did, though, experience a rush of nervousness as I was presented in front of my then-to-be bigs. I feared that I’d get someone who didn’t want me and wouldn’t want to invest any time in creating a relationship with me. My fears were then quickly washed away as Renna, my ideal choice as a bigs, was revealed to me. I feel that both of our personalities sync up pretty well. By being paired together, we have been able to hone certain qualities of ourselves with each other’s company and guidance. Renna, for instance, has been able to keep me on top my responsibilities in and out of Alpha Phi Omega, and to have fun while doing so. To reciprocate, I feel that I have given Renna a sense of an additional responsibility, which sharpens her element of being well rounded.
Throughout the past couple of weeks after reveal, I can say that my relationship with my bigs has definitely grown greatly. I’ve already spent a couple of nights at her apartment to study
and do face masks to destress from school. Additionally, we share similar music and food tastes, hobbies, and can be naturally goofy with one another. Renna’s always aware of my needs and I’m so thankful for that. I’d like my bigs to know that she’s doing an amazing job of being a support system. Also that I know I’m a bad texter and that I’m working on it! Renna, I know that sometimes you may feel that you aren’t doing your job as a bigs, but know you’re the best bigs anyone could ever ask for. I love you!
- Brandon Ragasa, PVL Fall 2018
Reveal was really fun and I appreciate all the Bigs and Brothers for putting together the event. We started off with a scavenger hunt at went to Gleeson Library, Kalmanovitz Hall, and the bottom of Lone Mountain. My team finished the scavenger hunt in second place. We then went into a classroom filled with colored ribbon with name tags and a pair of socks attached. My string was white, indicating that I am in the Lightning Family. The socks I got had squirrels and owls on them. We then went to Fromm Hall to find out Bigs wearing the matching pair of socks. My three hints for my Bigs were strawbs, energetic, and California. The hints were super confusing and I wasn’t able to guess who my Bigs was until it was revealed. My Bigs is Jess and I am beyond grateful to have gotten her as my Bigs.
Throughout the past few weeks, Jess and I have gotten the chance to become friends. She is a junior in nursing and is from San Jose, California. She is an amazing mentor. She helps organize my schedule so I can stay on top of requirements and always checks in on me at least twice a week. Additionally, she checks in on me to make sure I am still able to handle school and pledging.
One thing I would like my Bigs to know is that even though I am super busy and don’t always have the time to chat, I am extremely thankful for her. Prior to getting my Bigs, I felt overwhelmed about pledging and thought that my grades would decline because I would only be focussed pledging, neglecting my schoolwork, which is more important. However, Jess reassured me that as long as I prioritize, I am strong enough to handle both pledging and school.
- Ashlyn Lee, PVL Fall 2018
On the day of Reveal, I got really nervous but also very excited as we did the activities leading up to the actual reveal. Right before the reveal, I was able to dial it down to either Jeremiah, Nick, or Jeffrey, but I didn’t know for certain who it would be. I did know that if it was either of them, I would be extremely happy. When I did find out that my Big was Jeffrey, I got so hyped and so excited. Even though in the back of my head, I knew he was one of the three, it was still a big surprise to me. Going through all of that was new to me, and I couldn’t wait to see what having a Big was like.
Over the past few weeks of having Jeffrey as my Big, it has been awesome to just get to know him. Right from the start, we found out that we have a lot in common and share interests. We played the same sports, have similar fashion senses, love the same food, etc. Every time we hung out, it’s always a blast. One of my best times yet, was playing volleyball with him. Because we shared a similar history with volleyball, we went to open gym together. I had a lot of fun and I wouldn’t have ever thought about playing again, if it wasn’t for him. He has helped me a lot already in the process by just being there for me. I see him as my best bro and it’s more than I wanted in a Big. The one thing that I would want my Bigs to know is that he’s made this process more fun and really helped me grow and that I bet I’ll get more kills in the Family Volleyball tournament than he does.
- John Durano, PVL Fall 2018
Personally, I thought reveal was completely unexpected! I really liked the idea of what happened at Reveal and thought it was very creative. I came in with no expectations and even though there were rankings, I wasn’t expecting it to be accurate. Therefore, I had no clue who my big was which was the fun part to me.
Going into Reveal I wasn’t too nervous because I felt that I wasn’t worried about who my big was. I really thought everyone picking up would be a great potential big to me. Despite this, I am so glad that my big ended up being someone super cool, and we bonded right away. I should have known the moment I got Golden State Warriors socks! It felt so natural to have Mari as my big and we have a lot in common especially because we are both from San Jose. I am so glad that I have someone to turn to when I have questions or when things get tough. Mari is always there for me to answer any questions and she is also very supportive with my process.
During the first few weeks, we haven’t had much time to get
together but I know she’s always a phone call or text away. I used to be scared of the process and the requirements in order to cross but now that I have my big, I feel much more optimistic about my abilities to cross over. If there was one thing I would want Mari to know, it’s that I am
so glad she’s my big and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I also want to let her know that she’s been keeping me grounded even though I ask so many questions! Thanks for being so supportive to me, Bigz! ILY.
- Katie Lim, PVL Fall 2018
