05/03/2025
To our dearest brothers and sisters of 𝑨𝒍𝒑𝒉𝒂 𝑷𝒉𝒊 𝑶𝒎𝒆𝒈𝒂, this message is for all of us—those who walked the path of 𝑳𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑, 𝑭𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒆; those who still forged their way; and those who will be reconstructed in our footsteps. This is why we do what we do, this is why we take a stand, this is why APO only works with college students.
Others might be wondering, "𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘈𝘭𝘱𝘩𝘢 𝘗𝘩𝘪 𝘖𝘮𝘦𝘨𝘢 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴? “𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵-𝘰𝘧-𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥?” It is a question that deserves an earnest response. And today, I want to share with you a truth that will broaden minds and inscribe hearts.
𝘼𝙋𝙊: 𝙏𝙍𝘼𝙄𝙉𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙂𝙍𝙊𝙐𝙉𝘿 𝙁𝙊𝙍 𝙇𝙀𝘼𝘿𝙀𝙍𝙎 𝙊𝙁 𝙏𝙊𝙈𝙊𝙍𝙍𝙊𝙒
And this is only the beginning of the difference Alpha Phi Omega makes; Alpha Phi Omega is a vehicle of growth for anyone who is willing to learn and be on a journey of discovery and improvement. It is a crucial stage when they are redesigned as the leaders of tomorrow. It is in this phase of life that minds are most open to learning, to discipline, to the values of service, and to the obligation of leadership.
APO operates in colleges and universities, as it aims to supplement the education given in a lecture hall. It teaches students what no textbook can — how to lead with integrity, how to serve with passion and how to forge meaningful relationships with those around them. It's a well-oiled machine, where young men and women are transformed into people who will go on to serve not only the organization but the world as well.
To maximize the potential of this human tranquility, opening our doors wide past this sacred space means that we will lose our root that has been keeping the solid core of APO for over 30 years. We will be sacrificing the embodiment of Leadership, Friendship, and Service to young people at a time in their lives when they can take these lessons and values and put them into practice.
𝘼 𝙎𝙃𝙄𝙁𝙏 𝙄𝙉 𝙈𝙄𝙉𝘿𝙎𝙀𝙏 𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝙊𝘽𝙅𝙀𝘾𝙏𝙄𝙑𝙀
We do not deny that out-of-school youths and bystanders also deserve an opportunity to serve. Service is for everyone. But APO’s structure, mission, and traditions are uniquely crafted for a student in the academic setting.
College students are already in a phase of life in which discipline, commitment, and structured learning are already part of their daily realities. They do know responsibility, though. They embrace challenges. They strive for excellence. These are precisely the traits that APO fosters and amplifies.
The people who are not in school — whether through choice or because they could not be helped, either born with or thrown into a more difficult life — are on a very different path. They might not have the same commitment mindset, the same structure of academic learning, the same accountability that comes from being a college student. And so while many of them might really have good hearts and good will, APO is not designed to give them the type of guidance and development that they very much need.
Other avenues to help them exist — community outreach, mentorship programs and collaborations with organizations devoted to assisting out-of-school youth. Yes, we serve them as well, but that does not entail us transcending the very nature of APO to please everyone.
𝙋𝙍𝙀𝙎𝙀𝙍𝙑𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙇𝙀𝙂𝘼𝘾𝙔 𝙊𝙁 𝘼𝙇𝙋𝙃𝘼 𝙋𝙃𝙄 𝙊𝙈𝙀𝙂𝘼
If there is an unchanging thing in a changing world, that is APO with its steadfastness to the same ideals. What if we let anyone in based on their own merits with no barriers regarding their country of origin, their education (formal or not), or their willingness to learn? Would APO be the freaking powerhouse it is today?
The answer is 𝒏𝒐.
APO would lose its organization, its order, and its capacity to develop future leaders. As a result, it would become a place for anyone and nothing, a random assortment of people who aimlessly congregate, devoid of shared goals and lacking systemic intellectual growth. And when we lose that, we lose the specialness of APO. We lose the bond that binds us, the tradition that forms us, and the mission that motivates us.
#𝙎𝙀𝙍𝙑𝙄𝘾𝙀 𝙄𝙎 𝙁𝙊𝙍 𝘼𝙇𝙇 𝘽𝙐𝙏 #𝘼𝙋𝙊 𝙄𝙎 𝘼 𝙋𝙍𝙄𝙑𝙄𝙇𝙀𝙂𝙀
Dear Brothers and Sisters, let me remind you, service is for everyone, but Alpha Phi Omega is a privilege. This privilege is afforded to the ones at the highest level of development in their young adult lives: college students. It is a privilege earned through responsibility, discipline and commitment. It is a privilege that helps to create students ready to be leaders, so that when they graduate, they emerge as guiding lights for their communities, their families, their professions.
We are not locking people out because we grow lovers less. We are remaining true to our mission because we do this work with passion. Because we know that the greater the number of people we have trained us, for want of a better expression, we become the kind of leaders everyone wants, who serves for others.
𝙊𝙉𝘾𝙀 𝘼𝙉 𝘼𝙋𝙊, 𝘼𝙇𝙒𝘼𝙔𝙎 𝘼𝙉 𝘼𝙋𝙊
For those of you still in college: value your time as an Alpha Phi Omega member. It is a present that will define the remainder of your life. Learn from it. Grow with it. Serve with all your heart.
Sincerely speaking to our alumni, your journey starts now after you have graduated. You are the torchbearers now, the mentors, the demonstration and proof that APO produces leaders who make a difference. Keep supporting, guiding and inspiring the future generations of brothers and sisters.
And for those who question why APO is for college students, tell them: 𝑰𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑, 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒆. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒔 𝒅𝒐 𝒘𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘 𝒂 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒕, 𝒂 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒑𝒖𝒓𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑩𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒅."
𝑶𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒏 𝑨𝑷𝑶, 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒂𝒏 𝑨𝑷𝑶💙💛 𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘤𝘺, 𝘶𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯. 💛💙
