Finding a space where you can be yourself, interact with and uplift your culture, and build your professional development can be difficult to find. However, multicultural fraternities and sororities provide interested students and current members with these opportunities. Being part of these organizations does not only focus on the social aspect of Greek Life, but also includes opportunities to further one’s professionalism, learning new and/or honing current transferable skills, and build community. There are many benefits to becoming a member of a multicultural fraternity or sorority that are frequently overlooked. These organizations provide students with a combination of unique resources and experiences they can take advantage of and use both professionally and personally as they transition from college to career. Here are three key takeaways for Multicultural greek organization members on how they can further their professional development:
Resume Building Opportunities:
One can build a strong resume with the experiences and skills gained as a member of a fraternity or sorority, especially via various positions on an executive board. Because multicultural fraternities and sororities tend to host a variety of social events, fundraisers/drives for important causes, and partaking in community service initiatives- members are utilizing a wide variety of transferable skills that will be useful in their future careers, regardless of their respective fields. For example, in working with other organizations on campus to host events intended to raise awareness on varying social issues within their community or those that focus on uplifting their cultures and traditions- members are learning and showcasing their ability to collaborate, lead a team, portray oral and written communication, and lastly, learning great attention to detail and event programming skills.
Additionally, similar to other organizations, multicultural fraternities and sororities have executive boards in an effort to discuss administrative aspects in a team setting. However, unlike many organizations (both Greek life and non-Greek life), the members of these fraternities and sororities often find themselves taking on more than one role within their organization. This is due to the multicultural community already being small and there being multiple fraternities and sororities to choose from. While, this can mean additional duties for many members- this also means there is more likelihood for professional growth, skill development to a greater extent, and increased leadership opportunities. As a result, members of said multicultural Greek organizations are able to learn transferable skills at a much greater extent since they are allowed to tap into various roles that may require different strengths and expertise. For example, a member who holds the roles of both Secretary and Public Relations Coordinator is able to showcase extraordinary communication skills via digital marketing and within the group, serves as a vessel for student engagement via various communication modalities, portrays excellent time management skills in order to accomplish the duties of both roles, and experience with different computer programs to create social media posts.
Membership in a multicultural sorority or fraternity can provide students with transferable skills such as leadership, collaboration, communication, presentation skills, outreach, event planning, oral/written skills, and more.
Networking with Professionals
Multicultural organizations and fraternities have many alumni who successfully work in a variety of different professional fields. It is important to note that many of these alumni were also students with diverse backgrounds who may have faced many adversities and challenges. Because of this, they have unique shared experiences with other members of these organizations. As a result, they are able to provide tips, resources, and connections within their fields and may feel more compelled to network with current members of their or other on-campus multicultural fraternities and sororities. Networking is a crucial aspect of career development in which you are given the opportunity to speak to professionals and gain insight regarding their field, provide guidance regarding navigating workplaces as well as ongoing internship/job opportunities in their place of work.
Mentorship
Mentorship can be extremely beneficial in one’s academic and professional life. With fraternities and sororities, this aspect is incorporated into their organizations. New members of these organizations are given “Bigs” from whom they receive emotional, academic, and professional support. Mentorship is different from networking in that there are more transparent relationships that can be both personal and professional. Because many members of these multicultural organizations face different adversities and experience different treatment than their white counterparts, it is important that they find a community where they feel comfortable discussing these life events. It is especially important that they find mentorship through communities because they can learn how to grow in different social environments, receive resources and guidance, and feel uplifted/empowered to succeed in their fields of study and in their lives overall.
Joining a multicultural sorority or fraternity can provide members with various opportunities for professional development- from networking to mentorship to resume-building opportunities.
Multicultural Sorority and Fraternity Councils On Campus
If you would like to learn more about the various multicultural fraternities and sororities on campus feel free to follow their councils and learn more about the different organizations!
NALFO: Instagram–@binghamtonnalfo
NPHC: Instagram–@bingnphc
NAPA: Instagram–@napacouncil
