Evening with Jay Smooth

Alexander Tsemberis ’21 coordinated with Deans, the Chief Diversity Officer at SU, the Office of Multicultural Affairs, and Hendricks Chapel to organize a keynote guest speaker on campus, securing a budget of over $15,000. He managed communications plans between the keynote guest speaker’s talent agency and Phi Sigma Pi; coordinated all keynote guest speaker’s engagement logistics; and performed all functions on a strict timeline. “This experience was something that I really grew from,” Alexander said. “I felt it was really important to have someone come speak to the University about fostering racial diversity and inclusion, student engagement and free speech. I felt that there needed to be an event where students could have a platform to hear from an expert and get some advice about how we could enact the change we wanted here at SU.

“From being told ‘no’ over and over again, to finally being able to lock down funding, to then having to navigate getting a speaker approved and then putting the whole event together. It was a surreal experience and one that I felt really proud of.

“This was something that taught me, with persistence and teamwork, anything is possible. We all need to be the change we want to see. It is up to all of us.”