Alumni,
This year Beta Pi had an incredibly successful rush, drawing a pledge class of 25 new members. This was the first year operating under the University’s newly shortened two-week schedule, and the hard work and planning put forth by the Brotherhood made the transition seamless.
Highlights of the process included Broomball at the downtown ice rink, Sigma Pi Casino Night at the house, and a pig roast courtesy of Beverley’s Ribinator.
There are a couple people who I want to thank for their contributions to the process. First, I’d like to thank Brian Roy ‘94 and the rest of the Alumni Board, whose advice and contributions allowed us to scale-up our events to meet the demand of an unexpectedly large number of rushees. On that same note, a big thank you to both Henry Gorog ’14 and Keith Pederson ‘14, our social chairs this past fall, whose dedication and innovative approach to the position laid the groundwork for such a high turnout in the spring.
Most importantly, however, I’d like to thank all of the current brothers. Much of how we approached rush this year was different from in years past, and it would have ended as a failed experiment if not for your buy-in and sincere belief in what we were trying to accomplish. The hard work you put forth – not just during the two weeks of rush, but over the course of the entire school year – was unparalleled by anything I’ve seen during my time in the fraternity. My planning and efforts were far surpassed by yours, and for that I could not be more proud.
Looking towards the future, I’m excited to transition the position to current third-year Matt Schwartz ‘15. I’m confident he’ll do a great job, and I’m excited to see what he and the rest of the Brotherhood will accomplish.
Sincerely,
Zach Lewis ‘14
Spring Pledge Class 2014 Bios:
Ryan Bannon ‘17 — Ryan Bannon is a First Year from East Meadow, New York, studying Computer Science in the engineering school. He attended Kellenberg Memorial High School and is involved in a number of intramural sports at UVA.
Jeremy Baruch ’17 – Jeremy is a First Year Engineering student from Charlottesville, Virginia. He attended Western Albemarle High School where he played basketball, and hopes to continue sports involvement through club rugby and basketball at the University.
Drew Board ’17 —Drew is a First Year from Roanoke, Virginia, studying Biochemistry. He attended Cave Spring High School. Drew has been an active volunteer and mentor at The First Tee of the Roanoke Valley for 6 years and enjoys playing golf and the electric guitar in his spare time.
Andrew Citera ‘17 – Andrew is currently a First Year from Scotch Plains, New Jersey and studies Systems Engineering and Economics. He attended Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School. At UVA, Andrew is a member of Engineering Students Without Borders and tutors Charlottesville High School students in math.
West Connors ’17 – West is a First Year from Fairfax Station, Virginia, studying public policy. He attended Gonzaga College High School. West plays and is part of the leadership team of the UVA rugby team.
Dan Costello ‘17 – Dan is a first year from Bridgewater, New Jersey who attended Bridgewater-Raritan High School. He is studying Systems Engineering. Dan plays trombone in the Cavalier Marching Band, Basketball Band, and the Wind Ensemble.
Leo Cvitanovich ’17 – Leo is a First Year from Newport News, Virginia. He graduated from Woodside High School, and intends to study Commerce with a focus on marketing, Leo enjoys swimming and running and is a member of the Marketing and Communications committee of the Student Council and a University Ambassador.
Lucas De Oliveira ‘17 – Lucas is a First Year student from Richmond, Virginia, studying Biochemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences. He attended Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School in downtown Richmond and is recently involved with the Brazilian Student Organization.
Brent Do ’17 – Brent is a First Year from Fairfax, Virginia, studying biochemistry. Brent is a graduate of W.T. Woodson High School. Through Madison House, Brent volunteers at the Gordie Center and Congregation Beth Israel. Brent also plays sousaphone for the Cavalier Marching Band in the fall.
Ryan Dowd ’17 – Ryan is a First Year from Fairfax City, Virginia. He hopes to one day be in the McIntire School of Commerce. He went to Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C. and plays club rugby at UVA.
JC Gamble*† ’17 – JC is a First Year from Alexandria, Virginia. He attended St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School and intends to major in Commerce. He is an Army ROTC Cadet, a member of the UVA Sailing Team and Vice President of the non-profit organization Tunes for Our Troops.
Trevor Hele ’17 – Trevor is a First Year from Rye, New York, in the engineering school, planning on studying Mechanical Engineering with a Business Minor. He attended Rye High School. Trevor participates in the Baja Racing Club and the Engineering Student Council.
Matthew Helmus* ‘17 – Matthew is a First Year from Succasunna, New Jersey, who intends to major in Commerce. He attended Roxbury High School. Matthew plays several intramural sports here at UVA.
Gerard Jalowski ’17 – Gerard is a first year from Wall, New Jersey. He attended Wall Township High School and is now looking to study civil/environmental engineering. Gerard is a member of the Virginia Alpine ski and snowboard team and enjoys involvement in multiple intramural sports.
Henry Kocevar ’17 – Henry is a First Year from Farmville, Virginia, studying politics. In addition to attending Prince Edward County High School, he has taken classes at Hampden Sydney College and Longwood University. He ran in the 2012 Richmond marathon and was captain of his high school Cross Country team.
Tommy Kuehn ’17 – Tommy is a First Year from Manhasset, New York. He attended Manhasset high school and intends to study commerce at the University. Tommy has been an avid sailor for the past eight years and has joined the club sailing team at UVA.
Matthew Leon* ‘17 – Matthew is a First Year from Norfolk, Virginia. He is undecided, but is interested in music. He attended Norfolk Academy from first grade until senior year. Matthew is on the sailing team, writes album reviews for the Cavalier Daily, and is a DJ for WTJX radio.
Alex Lord ’17 – Alex is a First Year engineering student. He is from Cheshire, Connecticut, where he attended Cheshire High School. Alex is involved with the Ski Club here at UVA.
Austin Moser ’16 – Austin is a Second Year from Valencia, California studying Kinesiology with a Pre-Med track. He attended William S. Hart High School. Austin is involved in Biomechanics research and is a member of the Hoo Crew Hype Team.
Eric McDonald ‘17 – Eric is a First Year from Osbourn Park High School in Manassas, Virginia, who plans on studying Systems Engineering. Eric plays club water polo here at UVA, and in his first season he was voted Second Team All-Conference in the Atlantic Division.
Michael Osei-Nkansah ‘17 – Michael is from Bristow, Virginia and attended Osbourn Park High School. He studies neuroscience here at UVA and works in a lab at the Fontaine Research Center.
John Pijanowski ‘17 – John is a First Year from Cranford, New Jersey. He attended Cranford High School and intends to study commerce. He works as an ocean lifeguard for Long Beach Township Beach Patrol during his summers.
Jared Schulman ’17 – Jared is a suave, kind-hearted first year who hails from from Herndon, Virginia. In his earlier years, he attended Oakton High School where he frequented both the soccer fields and the libraries. His intended area of study is neuroscience. In his free time, Jared is an intramural sports enthusiast, well-known for dominating his competition and being incredibly clutch.
Joe Tsung ’16 – Joe is a Second Year from Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, studying Mechanical Engineering. He attended Abington Senior High School. Joe is in the Technology Leaders Program, which is an interdisciplinary program in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences that gives accepted students knowledge in the fields of Systems, Computer, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering.
Ahmet Yildirim ’16 – Ahmet is a Second Year from Lorton, Virginia, studying Biochemistry. He attended South County Secondary School. In his free time, Ahmet swims and radio DJs for WUVA.
*Beta-Pi Legacy
†Pledge Class President