Finding leadership opportunities as an incoming student at Iowa State many be difficult, and it’s easy to be clueless on where to start. But being involved with the greek community makes it easy for students on day one to get involved and build lasting friendships.

Mitch McDermott, junior in agriculture communications, started small with his involvement, and it’s only gone up since then.

“At first, the whole idea of being greek was foreign to me. No one in my family had been greek, but after checking out Farmhouse fraternity, joining was the greatest decision I had ever made,” McDermott said. “Freshman Council was the first thing I did, then I became a Cyclone Aide.”

During the second week of classes, students in fraternities and sororities are nominated by their houses to be a part of Freshman Council. The young students in Freshman Council are lead by their older peers to see what it is like to host philanthropic events, volunteer, and make a difference in the greek community.

“It is also very easy to get involved within each chapter. Whether it’s being a co-chair for Homecoming or Varieties, you learn many skills you can’t in the classroom,” McDermott said. “Being a leader teaches you how to make deadlines, work with other people, and get to know other chapters.”

After his first year of college, McDermott became a part of Homecoming Central, the leadership group that takes care of all event planning for Homecoming events in the greek community. After applying and being sponsorship chairman, the next year he moved up. McDermott became one of the top two leaders for Homecoming Central, known as general co-chairman.

“It was a lot of work, but I remember older members in my fraternity talking to me about all of the leadership opportunities, it was really inspiring to get very involved,” McDermott said. “With all organizations on campus, 75 percent of the leaders are in the greek community.”

Outside of the greek community, McDermott started the Antique Tractor Club, the only one of it’s kind at Iowa State. Many younger members of his fraternity attend club meetings.

Another organization at Iowa State, Dance Marathon, is the largest student-run philanthropic event at Iowa State. Just last year, Dance Marathon raised more than $264,290.

“I was a recruitment and morale chair for Dance Marathon two years in a row,” McDermott said. “It’s a really fun event to get into because so many people love doing it, and it’s a ton of fun.”

McDermott said being so involved made the tradition to college easier.

“At first coming here, it was hard to even understand everything I could do. But since so much of what I do is greek — the people I live with, people I socialize with, and others in the same organizations — it’s easy to call Iowa State home,” McDermott said. “My parents actually get upset when I refer to Ames as home.”

“The view of the ISU greek community is about outreach and service. That was important when i came to college and hit hard with all the community service that we do,” McDermott said. “At times we are focused on our own chapters, but we know its more important to support each other during the good and the bad.”

For students that are unsure about joining the greek community, McDermott is a shining example of an individual that ended up growing into the greek community, discovering it for himself.

“Even someone such as myself who thought the idea of going greek was foreign, there is a chapter for everyone,” McDermott said. “With so many different personalities and opportunities out there, there’s a house for you. I can’t imagine my college experiences without going greek, and it was the best decision I have ever made.”