After hearing so much positive feedback from the first service trip over spring break to the Florida Keys, I decided I absolutely had to go.  As each brother talked about the bonding moments, trash collecting, and rewarding service opportunities, I was more and more determined to get my intent in as soon as possible to hold a spot. 

The Florida Chapter of Alpha Zeta has welcomed me into its brotherhood, and I am so grateful to have made many close friends.  I was excited to travel to Key West during my spring break for the first time.  I had never been to the Florida Keys but that destination has been on my bucket list for quite some time.  And what made the trip mean even more was that I was going to make a difference in the environment.  I had heard quite a bit about the amount of plastics that wash up on shore and was ready to tackle the problem.

Because I had heard so much about this trip, I had several expectations.  These included working hard days in the sun picking up plastics among other garbage, lathering on sun screen so my pale skin would not burn, and of course enjoying the time spent with my brothers.  

After experiencing the week long trip, I can say that my expectations were met and far exceeded anything I had thought before.  I was engrossed by the task of picking up literally a ton of trash the three days we performed service for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.  I had heard about the amount of plastics that wash ashore, but actually picking up bottles and trap line made it that much more real.  I am proud to say that I did not get sunburned the entire week and even managed to tan a bit.  But, I think my last expectation was totally blown out of the water.  My brothers are truly caring, sincere, and fun-loving people.  I enjoyed each moment spent with them and learned so much about their lives!

I spent my spring break for the first time performing service with my brothers.  I made memories that I will keep forever.  I hope to spend my spring break in the same fashion next year as well.  And I am proud to say that I am a brother of the Florida Chapter of Alpha Zeta.

See what Carson Cooper, a spring 2015 pledge, had to say about their potluck social!

"The new AZ pledges at UF were able to have a potluck game night at the clubhouse of an apartment complex. The best part was that older brothers came out and everyone got to enjoy pizza, Wii games, and best of all-twister. Here is a picture of an older brother, Taylor, dominating the twister game which she ultimately won. Socials are more fun when they include older brothers because it's an opportunity to get paddle signatures and find out more about why Alpha Zeta is so awesome to be a part of."

Florida chapter's new pledge class is super studious! Here is a picture of the pledges at their second study social. It was a great way to collaborate on homework and learning material while also getting to know each other and enjoying some donuts.

We participated in the 5 Days with our Earth fair, a yearly celebrated fair in our college campus. We bought a huge quantity of merchandise from “Harinas de Lares” a local and traditional chip maker from Puerto Rico to sell at the fair. We also sold ginger and turmeric which we had collected a few days earlier from our dear Dr. Custodio’s farm who is always a great help to us.

Brothers Nicole Borba and Melissa Jacoby work out at the Fresno State Nursery. Last Saturday they worked at of the Nursery's plant sale through the campus farmers market. These two show character through their work in agriculture! 

On Thursday, March 12th, 2015 the Alpha Zeta – Cal Epsilon Chapter held the Spring 2015 New Member Class Pinning Ceremony in conjunction with the “Plate Up with a Professional” guest speaker. The night began at the majestic Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant as members, new and active ordered a delicious meal for the evening. From there, Chancellor Jodi Raley and Censor Brittany Hitchcock, presented AZ New Member badges to the sixteen members of the Spring 2015 Cal Epsilon New Member class. Following the Pinning Ceremony, the Cal Epsilon chapter was delighted to host Mr. Geoff Thurner, the Jordan College Public Information Officer to enlighten the group about his professional work in the Agricultural Communications sector. All in all, those in attendance had a grand time! A special thanks to Mr. Thurner for speaking as our March professional. Welcome aboard to the Spring 2015 New Member class! The Cal Epsilon chapter is excited to see that each new member has accepted the token towards fulfilling the journey of becoming an Alpha Zeta member!

On Wednesday, February 25, 2015 we held our informal meeting for Alpha Zeta. Potential new members were invited to the meeting and we had a large turnout. The existing members mingled with the perspective members in a game of human bingo and Alumni Monique Bienvenue spoke to us about the Color me 5K run on campus.

During the February formal meeting we met at Marie Calendars to discuss the upcoming Gala which will take place on May 2nd. It'll be in the Fresno State Alumni house and we are looking for items to be auctioned off in a silent auction. Our Ag Outreach committee set up a full day of industry tours on May 7th and the community service committee has several community service activities scheduled for the next few months. During this meeting we signed Valentine's Day cards for children at Valley Children's Hospital that were delivered and distributed to the children. We were also welcomed by our professional guest speaker, Dr. Levi, who discussed study abroad opportunities, addressed many of our fears and encouraged all of us to look into. Thank you Dr. Levi for taking time to speak to our group.

The NC Chapter cleaned up its adopted highway today!

The NC Chapter is proud to have won an apheresis donation competition between 7 other fraternities on NC State campus!  We were presented with a trophy, and helped save many lives!