KAPPA LEAGUERS ACHIEVEMENT SPOTLIGHT
Robinson in Gatorade ® adversitement.
community. One of the first things I remember was assisting with the Ron Kirk election campaign in Dallas. I made phone calls to families encouraging them to vote – and I was not even old enough to vote. I remember volunteer- ing several times at the food pantry. It instilled in me the value of giving back. I am a firm believer in paying things forward and most of that came from my time as being a Kappa Leaguer. So many Kappa men showed up to every meeting and event. They took time out of their busy schedules to be there to guide us, to teach us and to educate us. When you are a kid, you do not really think about all those things. As I have gotten older, I realize how special that was. Kappa League gave me a rounded experience that traditional school did not give me. It rounds you out with a lot of the intangibles that you do not pick up in your traditional school environ- ment. From how to interact with your peers and friends to how to interact with adults. It is so valuable for so many people, but at the same time you only get out of it what you put in. For the people who take advantage of that op- portunity it can be very fruitful. You are exposed to this impenetrable Bond that all the adults around you have. In the back your mind you think I want to be a part of that. Robinson with 31 st Grand Polemarch Dwayne M. Murray, Esq. at the 2010 Middle Western Province Council.
Q: Why did you become a Kappa and how was your experience at Zeta Omega? A: Kappa League certainly exposed me to Greek life growing up. When I came to campus, I already knew that I wanted to join the Bond plus black Greek life was big at OU. We had the full Divine Nine which was rare for a Big 12 school. I was initiated the Spring of 2009 of my junior year in a line of eight – K.L.E.A.N. S.L8. I became the Intake Chairman the following year. It was cool being the person responsible for bringing the next wave of brothers over. You get to see that transformation that they go through. I had a great time being a Kappa at Oklahoma. Oh, and my probate was lit. Opposite page: Richardson Plano Kappa Leaguers at the 2006 Dallas Hoop it Up. Pictured from left to right: Brother Raymond Kitchen, Bryan Clark, Jerald Bonham, (now Brother) Nick Robinson, Brother Kevin Burnett and (now Brother) Stephen Harrison. They won first place in the high school division.
I am also head of the Cultural Enrich- ment Team where we focus on diversity recruiting and retention of marketers of color across the PepsiCo organization. Given the current climate, that is now ever more important. Q: Let us take it back a bit. What do you remember about Kappa League? A: I had a great time. I looked forward to the basketball camp each year. Kappa League is extracurricular and if your heart's not in it you there is no point in half-assing it. My mentality was if I am gonna do it, I am gonna do it. I appreciated learning about topics I did not learn in school like stocks and bonds and taxes – which at the time, a lot of it went over my head. I would say what I learned more than anything was public speaking and getting comfortable speaking in front of people. At the close of every Kappa League meeting, each Kappa Leaguer had to go in front of the room, introduce themselves and deliver news about a current event then close with a philosophical statement. It would be interesting to look around the room and see kids of all ages nervously waiting for their name to get called to go up and speak. I learned how to be comfortable in uncomfortable situations. The exposure Kappa League gave me was incredible. The focus on the
Q: Talk about your post graduate
alumni experience. A: When I came back to Dallas, after graduating from OU, I immediately got involved with my hometown chapter, Richardson Plano Alumni. I was an active brother in the Kappa League program and became the Director of Achievement (leads the committee to
64 | SUMMER-FALL 2020 ♦ THE JOURNAL
Publishing achievement for more than 105 years
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