THE OMEGA CLASS
OF OMEGA ALPHA
INITIATED NOVEMBER 18, 2008
CHRISTOPHER HIJAZIN
#126 BROTHER DIONYSUS
My name is Christopher Hijazin, I'm 19 years old and I am from Howell, New Jersey. I'm a sophomore at Johnson & Wales University and am currently a Culinary Major but will soon transfer to Food Marketing or Food Service Management as soon as I get my associates degree. I am very independent and have always worked for what I want and because of this I believe it has taught me my work ethic and also to appreciate everything that I have. I believe you must work hard to play hard, but at the same time you must enjoy what you are doing. You must also have a little bit of fun in the process of working as long as the job is done to the best of your ability.
When I was younger my mother (Wendy) and biological father (Francis) split up and since then I haven't seen or spoken to my biological father, it has been about 14 or 15 years. Years after the divorce my mom was remarried to my current step dad (Alan) and now I have three sisters, two younger (Aubrey & Tristan) and one older (Britney). I have never really gotten along with my little sisters that well but as I got older my older sister and I became close and were able to talk about anything and everything together. As for my step dad and I, we never have had a close relationship and were never able to fully communicate with each other and because of this I never really have had a father figure in my life, so I credit my mom for the majority of my upbringing. She has been there for me through thick and thin. No matter how good or bad I have been in my past, present, or future I know my mom will always be there for me no matter what the circumstance.
About two years ago I came home late one night and as I walked up the stairs I heard something from my parent's room. It was my mom, she was crying. My mother is a strong woman and I barley ever see her cry so when she does I know it's serious. So I walked to my parent's bedroom door to see what was wrong and my step dad answered and told me not to worry about it and to go to sleep. Then I told him I wanted to see my mom and I wanted to know what was wrong, but again he told me not to worry about it and go to sleep. I was tired of him brushing me off like it was no big deal so I started to yell at him and demanded that I see my mom and to tell me what was wrong. Eventually he told me that my mom was diagnosed with a brain tumor and a form of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). I was speechless so I turned around and just sat on the stairs and cried. I could not stand the thought of losing my mom, she has been and still is everything to me. She is the reason that I am the man that I am today. Without her I would be nothing, and ever since that day I do not take anything for granted with her or the ones I love. This one instance has impacted me more than anything else in my life, and I feel like I have changed from it and I feel like I have become a better person.
I want to be a brother of Tau Epsilon Phi because I know I have something great to offer the brotherhood, I am more than a great and loyal friend and I am there for anyone, no matter who it is in need of help. I am a very social and outgoing person and have a one of a kind personality. I am the type of person who will leave a great legacy behind for others to follow. Not only am I a trustworthy and loyal friend I am respectful to all those around me no matter what the situation. I don't judge others by what they may look like, what they have or who they know. Also I have no problem going out of my way for someone in need of help. I try to think of every situation as "What if that were me?" and then do my best to help out. There isn't always something that can be done and if that's the case then just move on to the next situation you might come across. The two biggest fears in my life are death and not making a difference. I don't want to be a blur in the crowd, I want to stand out and be something bigger and I can do that with the brothers of Tau Epsilon Phi.
ALAN DIAS
#127 BROTHER NOTORIOUS
Hi, my name is Alan Dias; I was born and raised in Ludlow, Massachusetts. I have a twin sister and we are both currently enrolled at Johnson & Wales University. We live with my mom and her boyfriend and I have two little dogs.
I went through a severe change in my life two summers ago in 2006 when my father lost his fight with cancer. I was very close with my father and we did everything together. He was truly a great man and I miss him very much. These past few years have been pretty tough for me, but I have handled it to my best ability. Going through something like this at such a young age isn't something you should have to deal with. This has made me a stronger person in my eyes and has made me mature a lot in the past few years. I had to take on a lot more responsibilities when my father had passed, and they weren't things I was ready for but I had to adjust to them quickly. I know he would be proud of me and I tell myself that every day especially as I'm going through the process of becoming a brother of Tau Epsilon Phi. There isn't a single day that goes by that I don't think about my father. He would have totally supported me on becoming a brother of TEP, and would have realized the better man that I am becoming.
I know becoming a brother will get me involved with the community. I love doing community service and helping people who aren't as fortunate. I come from a family with money on one side and the other side isn't as fortunate. I never take things for granted and I always work for the things I get. Through my family I know what it's like to have it easy and being fortunate, most people don't have that which makes me want to help others even more. You look at things differently when you see others that aren't as well off and when I see that I just want to help them out as much as I can.
TEP is allowing me to develop into a better person and is opening me up to opportunities which allow me to help others and I'm all for that, and making a difference in people's lives makes me feel good. I'm going to do everything in my will to help TEP better themselves and their organization. There's nothing more that I want than to be a brother of TEP, I would love having that special bond each of the brothers share with each other. I enjoyed spending time with the brothers leading up to my candidacy, which helped me make my decision to except my bid even easier. This is the best bunch of men you could ask to hang out with, I can't even compare them to any other organization on campus and I want so much to be a part of that.
Becoming a part of TEP will also teach me better people skills and I'll produce better leadership skills. I remind myself everyday how lucky and fortunate I am to have received a bid from the brotherhood, and what an honor it is to be able to have this chance. Not many people get this special chance, and I'm going to make the best of it. They had to see something in me for them to give me a bid. The things they see that I have to offer them and better the fraternity may be different in my eyes but I guarantee I can contribute a lot and I'm going to try my best to do whatever I can for this fraternity. I will be there for the brothers at all times no matter what, and I can already tell they would do the same for me.
JONATHAN R. WAHLEN
#128 BROTHER ALI
My name is Jonathan Richard Wahlen and I'm from West Islip Long Island, New York. I transferred to Johnson & Wales University after completing a year at Suffolk County Community College in New York. I am currently majoring in Business Administration and I plan to choose a concentration in Management next year. One day I hope to be the CEO of a large corporation because I love making business decisions and trying different things to create success.
My parents divorced when I was 1 and I'm an only child so it has been just my mother and I since then. I'm very close with my mother and her side of the family but I cannot say the same at all for my father's side. My father lives in Illinois and I don't really see him much and I hope that one day we can share the same bond that most fathers and sons have or at least should have, because I have definitely lacked a fatherly influence throughout my childhood and teenage years. My Uncles have always been the ones to straighten me out and I often look to them for guidance. Whenever I let them down it's one of the worst feelings in the world. My mom has given up a lot to try and give me everything she could so that I have the best life possible, and I'm grateful for that. I strive to make my family proud, because for me the greatest reward is my knowing that they are proud, and supporting of me.
I guess you can say that I had to grow up faster than most kids because in a sense I've been the man of the house since the age of 1. My childhood has been rough at times since I never really had a set foundation. I moved 8 times from the time I was born to the age of 12. I've always been active growing up, playing soccer, lacrosse, football, baseball, and swimming all competitively; and because of this I've always loved being part of a team, sharing a bond with my teammates, and competing for a championship.
I want to be a part of Tau Epsilon Phi because I want to be part of an organization that will help me grow as a person as well as a leader, and one day let me give back to those who follow in my footsteps. I've realized in the past few years as I have matured more and more that I am developing into a strong leader. I am a great friend and I'm always there for my friends. Whenever somebody needs me I'll drop whatever I'm doing to help them out even if it means that I have to ignore my own personal issues.
I'm a very genuine person as well as trustworthy and this is another reason I believe that my friends turn to me for advice, guidance, or other help. I'm a very happy person and you'll rarely see me in a bad mood which is a good thing most of the time but it also means I keep my problems to myself a lot. I'm looking forward to joining Tau Epsilon Phi because I want to share the same bond that the brothers do and give back to the organization in all the ways that I know I can.
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