THE ALPHA BETA CLASS
OF OMEGA ALPHA
INITIATED MAY 14, 2009
ROSS YOEL
#136 BROTHER GA'VAH
My name is Ross Yoel, and I am from Cornwall, NY. I was born on May 17, 1990 in Middletown, New York, not too far from where I spent the first 18 years of my life. The first eight years of my life I lived in Highland Mills, NY, until my parents got divorced. I then moved to Cornwall with my mother (Joanne) and my brother (Ben). The following years before college included several other moves, all within the same county. Living in the suburbs of New York dramatically impacted my decision on going to school in Providence, RI, because I wanted a change of scenery. Growing up, I spent a limited amount of time with my father (Ron), but the times I did see him, we shared countless, fun experiences that I will never forget. As I spent most of my life living with only my mother, we have grown very close to each other, and I will always be there for her as she was for me. Both of my parents impacted my life greatly, and made me the person I am today.
I’m a freshman at Johnson & Wales University, where I am pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Sports, Entertainment, and Event Management. At the age of 13, I started developing a great work ethic as I got my first job of many. I consider myself to be very ambitious, as I plan on taking on the career of Talent Agent one day for the Sports & Entertainment Industry. As I work towards this goal of mine, my desire for success grows everyday as I broaden my span of knowledge. I have always excelled academically, and I have worked hard to continue thisat JWU. I have made Dean’s List last trimester.
Coming out to Providence, I never really had any intention of joining Greek Life, but as I met the brothers of Tau Epsilon Phi, my attitude completely changed. Prior to rushing TEP, I had been friends with several brothers of the fraternity. I found that we shared similar personality and interests. After attending a few rush events and meeting each and every brother, I was able to see that this was a close-knit brotherhood that I could see myself being part of one day. After receiving a bid, I made the decision to dedicate myself as a pledge for the spring trimester of my freshman year. This has easily been one of the best decisions of my life, and I will continue to give my strongest effort towards this brotherhood.
CHRISTOPHER D. MARCIN
#137 BROTHER ARES
My name is Christopher Dominic Marcin, I’m 21 years old and I am from Wilmington, Massachusetts, I have lived in the great state of Massachusetts my whole life. I was born March 8th, 1988 at Mass General Hospital in Boston. Since day one it was my Mom, her best friend Cathy (who I consider my second mom, I call her auntie) and I. I am Dominican and Sicilian, my mother Jocelyn of Sicilian decent, and my father the Dominican side. I’ve never known my real father(my Dominican half) but I met the only dad I did know at age 3, Bob Marcin. Once my parents met we moved out of living with my aunt in suburban North Reading, to a more city like area in the town of Revere. When I was six my mother gave birth to my baby sister Nikkia, who is now 15 years of age. Also in that year of 1994 we moved again, this time to the town where I did most of my growing up in, Wilmington.
My dad always pushed me hard to be a gentleman and an athlete and I thank him for instilling those qualities in me because it has helped me to become the strong young man I am today. He coached all of my sports up until high school, he was a big figure in my life, he showed me what hard work, dedication and love can do for my life. My mom has always been there for me and through her guidance, and intuition , she has helped me overcome a lot of hardships throughout my life and I am forever in debt to her for that. When I was eleven my parents divorced and my dad moved to Chelsea. This city was completely different from Wilmington. I began to make friends in both places and see how differently both groups lived. This helped me to become humble to befriending all types of people. I learned how to create common ground no matter the circumstances. I’m a very personable man and can vibe with every type of person. I went to Catholic School from 6th – 12th grade at Austin Preparatory School in Reading, just a town over from Wilmington. In 2005, my junior year in high school, I experienced a life changing event. I lost my father after his 2 year battle with cancer. This was not easy on my family, everybody changed and it ended up creating some walls between some of my family members and I. As for the rest of my family it made us grow stronger and become closer, I love my family and I would do anything for them, God has blessed me by surrounding me with a lot of people that love and care for me and to this day I give thanks.
After attending UMASS Dartmouth for 2 years pursuing a degree in Psychology, I decided I needed a change. After working for a few prestigious restaurants in Boston such as Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse and The Barking Crab I decided I had a love for the hospitality field. So I came to Johnson & Wales University as a Food and Beverage major and decided to really get academically focused, and I am. Since I started attending JWU I have done so well, better than I have in a long time and it feels really good. Now that I have met the brothers of Tau Epsilon Phi I have met a bunch of gentleman who I have come to learn I have a lot in common with, gentleman who one day I would like to be able to call my brothers. These individuals have shown me a lot over this past weeks and because of TEP I am becoming a stronger person mentally and academically. The morals TEP brothers live by and stand for are based on great ethics, and for that I am proudly willing to journey through the Portals of Tau Epsilon Phi to one day proudly wear the letters.
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