College is the time to learn, make memories, and grow, but it can often be hard to find a place where you feel right at home. Erik Lawler ’10 knew exactly what he was looking for when he came to Penn State, but it took a bit of trial and error before he found his home at ATO. “My father went Greek at his school and his best friends to this day are his fraternity brothers, and I wanted a similar experience,” Erik says. “During my freshman year, I rushed a couple of different houses, but ATO just had ‘it.’ I couldn’t describe it, but I knew it was the place for me.”
Erik’s years at the chapter house are some of the best of his life. He held several positions, including the social chairman, Greek Week chairman, Greek Sing chairman, and chapter president. At ATO, there were a collection of people from across the country with different backgrounds and experiences that attributed to the memories and even set Erik up for success. “I learned how to deal with and get along with many different people,” he says. “I learned how to incorporate good and bad ideas into something we can all get behind.”
Erik maintains close contact with several brothers through e-mails, texts, Snapchats, and events. They had an alumni hockey weekend during Penn State’s spring break and an impromptu and inaugural “This Is What Men Do” golf weekend. Erik’s favorite times at the chapter house were the ones after a night out where everyone was eating breakfast, rehashing, and sharing stories from the night before.
Today, Erik is the district manager at the Boston Beer Company and a certified cicerone in charge of the western third of Pennsylvania. He encourages brothers to stay hungry and motivated and to never settle for mediocrity. As Erik remembers his undergraduate years, he realizes how important it is for alumni to stay in touch with Gamma Omega. “When I look back at my four years at State, my time at ATO is where my best memories are from,” he says. “You don’t think about the dorms or classroom or really the bars. It’s the days and nights hanging out with my brothers at the chapter house. Gamma Omega is home. It’s a place we can always go back to. I had an amazing experience, and it’s something that I wanted future students to have as well.” Erik can be reached at [email protected].