When it was time to matriculate to college, he decided a change of scenery was best for his growth and development. He would go on to the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, getting his bachelors’ degree in marketing, and joining the Eta Rho Chapter.

Samuel has spent the last 12 years working at Target Corporation, holding five roles across five divisions. Currently, he serves as a Lead Culture Consultant within human resources where he oversees the enterprises’ culture vision and values, informing various teams and leaders of solutions to help address identified areas of opportunity.

Samuel’s giving heart is what sparked his interest in Deltasig. With a passion for community service and the impact the chapter was known for, it served as an excellent opportunity for him to give back to his community.

“Community service has been a huge part of my life and something I’ve always been passionate about. As I learned more about what my collegiate chapter did and the values of the Fraternity as a whole, it made my decision to join very easy,” says Samuel.

Looking back on his time as a collegian, Samuel’s experience in the chapter was overall positive. His concerns of being the only African American member of his chapter, which could have been an isolating experience, were immediately put to rest. “I was fortunate to have joined a chapter that allowed me to be me. I was able to build close relationships with several brothers as well as our chapter advisor and I’m grateful to have maintained several of those relationships until this day,” says Samuel.

His experience in Deltasig had a significant impact on his growth and development into the business professional that he is today. Having run for several positions within his chapter, some positions he would win and others he would not, Deltasig gave him the confidence to be assertive, receptive to feedback and a willingness to create his own experiences.

“The skillsets I gained led to me walking into a Target store, asking for the manager and then giving my elevator pitch. This led to my first job opportunity. I strongly believe the Fraternity was a huge contributor to the confidence I built during college.”

While many brothers’ favorite Deltasig memory is associated with a national event or an experience they were able to have as a collegiate member, Samuel’s favorite Deltasig memory is meeting his life partner. Samuel met his wife Laura, Drake (IA), during a Deltasig sponsored philanthropy event.

“After graduating, we had joined our respective alumni chapters (Twin Cities (MN) and Des MoinesCentral Iowa). It wasn’t in my long-term plans to marry a brother. We played together in a Deltasig sponsored basketball tournament and the rest was history. Quickly, a friendship was created and then a life-long relationship.”

When reflecting on his journey and all of the wisdom he’s been able to gather, his piece of advice to younger Deltasigs is two parts. First, go forward in life as your authentic self; knowing who you are is nonnegotiable. Secondly, open your mind to thoughts and perspectives different from your own. Taking these actions will take you far in all aspects of life