Brother Profile: Sam Becker, Miami (Ohio) ’17

Hometown: Long Island, New York

Major: Marketing and a minor in Business Analytics

Involvement: Philanthropy Committee and Finance Committee

Why did you join SigEp?

I joined SigEp because I found a group of guys I could get along with, share the same values with and supported me. I saw it as an opportunity to be around like-minded individuals and make an impact on them and the campus. It honestly felt like the right fit.

You were diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the age of one. How was having Cerebral Palsy and heading to college?

The outlook as relatively grim in comparison to a normal life. There wasn’t an expectation for me to walk and especially around a college campus. The doctor told my parents that I would be confined to a wheelchair because of the stress of going around campus. My parents did a great job of instilling a strong “don’t feel sorry for yourself” culture in my life. College was expected of me and so I knew I was going to college regardless of my disorder.

I came in with some really good friends. Cerebral Palsy has never stopped me from being social. I did struggle with a deeper connection with somebody and it is tough to tell someone that I had Cerebral Palsy. Most people knew about it in my community but when I was meeting all of these new people, it was a challenge.

Back in high school I was a 4.0 honor student and when I got to college, studying became physically and emotionally exhausting and it took me awhile to regain the academic excellence I once had.

How has it been with your brothers and with Cerebral Palsy?

The first night we met and I told them about my cerebral palsy and they embraced me and it has been great since then they have been incredible supportive. They know I don’t like to ask for help a lot but when I do they are there are at a drop of a hat. The support for the kickstarter was huge too. Planning our philanthropy around cerebral palsy has been great and we raised thousand of dollars. There have been times when my disorder hits the hardest when I get sick and it is physically and mentally exhausted and I am having a difficult time walking to class and they know right away to give me a ride or take me to the medical center. I could have not asked for a better group of guys.

Your Kickstarter, the Pave Your Own Path Project, how did that come to be?

Before the Pave Your Own Path Project became an idea, I had the incredible opportunity to raise awareness for Cerebral Palsy, by going to abroad to Europe. I am very blessed that CP that doesn’t affect my day to day life and I have been able to live a more or less normal life and I have never found a way to relate the CP community. I came up with this idea and saw this an opportunity to become with really personable with the CP community and I have always had a knack for writing and thought that blogging was the best avenue and I spoke with a good friend who is a social media consultant and she recommended I do a kickstarter because then other people could invest and feel like they are a part of my journey.

What is the message behind the Pave Your Own Path project?

I looked at it like this: one of my favorite poems is the Road Not Taken by Frost. When I was born, I was only given one path by the doctors. I didn’t really have that second path and so the message behind the project is I was able to create my own path on my own and especially with the love and support of my family and friends. Each blog post was dedicated to those who helped pave my path with me.

It being your last year as a SigEp undergraduate, what would you say to young men who are coming in and joining our fraternity?

I’d say that, the people in our chapter are top notch and they care about you individually on person and not just someone you can go out with on the weekend. They truly want you to succeed in the classroom, socially, academically and build a strong bond with the brothers. I am a testament and an example of that because they have accepted me for everything I am. It is the people in our chapter that make us who we are and it is the relationships we form that not everyone else sees.