Greek life is oftentimes associated with parties and social events, but a program at Kansas State is working to shift that narrative. Rising Leaders, a leadership development initiative through Fraternity and Sorority Life, focuses on peer mentorship, reflection and community-building among freshmen and sophomore members of Greek organizations. 

Launched in 2024, the program was designed to help freshmen and sophomores in fraternities and sororities begin developing leadership skills early in their college and Greek life experiences. Through weekly classes, discussions, collaborative exercises and peer mentorship, students explore what leadership looks like within their organizations and across the broader campus communities. 

“The Rising Leader program is an education for leadership program that we started in 2024,” graduate assistant Hugh Sidabutar, who is an alumnus of Acacia, said. “It was created with the intention of teaching freshmen and sophomores all about leadership in Greek life. We wanted a peer mentorship to be part of it.”

That peer-led structure is a central part of the program. Juniors and seniors who have served in leadership roles guide the weekly sessions, sharing their experiences while facilitating discussions among the program’s participants. 

Leah Meek, junior in personal financial planning and member of Alpha Xi Delta, was a part of the program and now works as a facilitator.

“We go through a variety of different topics every week,” Meek said. “We do a lot of individual reflection, and then from there we’ll have them share with a partner, or we talk through it as a group. Our group is the perfect size where we’re able to have intentional conversations as a whole.”

Much of the program centers around conversations about values and leadership within Greek organizations. Facilitators encourage students to reflect on personal beliefs and how those values transfer into leadership within their respective chapters. 

“A lot of it is value-based,” Meek said. “Community values are a huge thing to each house. But it’s also finding how you can connect your personal values relate those to other people within your chapter or within the community.”

For students involved in the program, the opportunity to interact with members of other Greek organizations is one of the most valuable aspects, especially for Sadie Swartz, freshman in early childhood education and member of Kappa Kappa Gamma.

“I decided to participate in Rising Leaders because I wanted a good opportunity to expand my leadership knowledge and growth,” Swartz said. “And this provided a perfect opportunity to meet with fellow Greek students and then upperclassmen that are also in Greek life.”

For Paul Nguyen, freshman in accounting and marketing and member of Sigma Phi Epsilon, the program appealed to him as a way to grow both personally and within his fraternity.

“I wanted to participate in Rising Leaders to become a better fraternity man and a better leader on campus,” Nguyen said.

Nguyen said he believes leadership development should begin early in a student’s college career.

“To me, being a rising leader means continually developing yourself,” Nyguen said. “Even if you’re just a freshman, there’s no reason you shouldn’t participate. You know, the Greek life community is known for some pretty bad stereotypes. I think being a good leader kind of defies those stereotypes.”

Although Rising Leaders is still a relatively new program, Sidabutar said he has already seen its influence within the Greek community.

“We see a lot of those participants now continuing and doing leadership in their own organizations,” Sidabutar said. “Whether or not they’re consciously or unconsciously using what they got from Rising Leaders, they are.”

In some cases, former participants return to the program as facilitators, continuing the mentorship cycle that the program was designed to create.

Meek is one of those returning facilitators, in what she calls a full-circle moment.

“I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today without all the mentors that I’ve met along the way,” Meek said. “I got a lot out of the program. It allowed me to bring a lot of fresh ideas to my house, specifically.”

As the program continues to grow, Sidabutar hopes that students leave with both leadership skills and connections that extend beyond their individual chapters. 

“I just want students to see it as a positive experience,” Sidabutar said. “Something they can look back in and draw from when they’re continuing on in their lives.”