Willie Emanuele is passionate about a lot of things. For one, he says being in a fraternity “is an experience that goes beyond words.” Willie also is very enthusiastic about being involved in the Multi-Cultural Student Leadership Institute. Here, we talk about why this 19-year-old leader-on-campus is so passionate about the things he’s involved in at Rider.
What made you get involved on campus?
It kind of dawned on me that I needed to find a way to make myself stand out rather than being another student at another University. It took an initial rough start my first semester but fortunately enough I was taken under the wing of some administrators and upper classmen that got me on the right track.
What’s the most rewarding part?
Seeing my efforts implemented into action and a successful end result.
The role of President of the Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity, INC. Iota Chapter is a huge role. Tell us about your experience.
It’s one of those privileges that kind of finds its way to you. If you’re working beyond the best of your ability, you’ll find your dynamic in any work environment naturally. The hardest part would have to be realizing how more efficiently you work as a team than anything else; I had to come across that after trial and error.
You see yourself eventually becoming a network and computer systems administrator. How long has this been your goal?
Growing up, computers and technology was always something that more or less came easy to me. I would pick up on them a lot quicker than most my age so I did a little more research in it and felt it was the best field of choice for me. It really didn’t become apparent to me until recently that it’s what I wanted to do but if I had to choose it would probably be something along the lines of education, at least what I’m told I should do.
What qualities do you possess that you think make you a good leader?
I’ve never been one to highlight my own strengths, seems a little arrogant to me. [laughs] But you decide. However every individual should be able to identify where they need improvement. As for myself, I can lack some emotional sensitivity a times, and very stubborn. Anyone can tell you that.
You are a student of the Multi-Cultural Student Leadership Institute. Why did you first join?
I was actually fortunate enough to be granted the opportunity to become a part of it by my former EOP Grad Assistant Alejandra Mondragon. She spoke to me about during my time at EOP and it peaked my interest immediately. It seemed like a strong opportunity to continue branching out and strengthening myself as an individual through a series of workshops and travel opportunities. It’s a strong backbone for students of different ethnic backgrounds here at rider, without a question. It provides a neutral and relaxing environment for students to speak freely about rising topics of interest both in and outside of Rider. To this day, I still encourage students I come across to take a look into it and see if perhaps they find that same niche that I did. Perhaps an element they can relate to and make themselves comfortable within the organization.
Has the organization changed/effected your life in any way?
I can honestly say looking back on my freshmen year to now, in that short amount of time I am still close with my counselors, and it has changed my demeanor so much. I take much more pride in the work I do and how I do it, and accredit it all to them, they know exactly who they are.
Do you enjoy all of the organizations equally or do you have one in particular that you have a special passion for?
I would never be able to just choose one. They each hold their own proper soft spot with me. They each have contributed to my personality, and changed me drastically. I dedicate well above one hundred percent of my time as well as effort to each outlet of mine respectively and could not be more grateful for the people that I have had the pleasure of meeting along the way. I still have a lot of time left so who knows what else may play a role in my life but I can say I’m not leaving anything behind at this point I care about them too much.
What has been the most rewarding moment for you at Rider?
The moment I saw new Brothers inducted officially into my chapter. It was such a long and anticipated feeling that I wanted to happen so badly not for myself, but for them. They worked hard day and night to get where they are today and I could not be any prouder of them. Seeing them grow from being my friends, hanging out at Daly’s to becoming lifelong Brothers and members of the same fraternity is an experience that goes beyond words. It’s hard to parallel it to another experience that people would be able to relate to, its just one of those things you have to see or experience for yourself to understand my perspective.
What does success mean to you?
If I could quote one person that captured it best for me it would be my advisor, Nicholas Barbati. One day he had told me that success should not be measured by the outcome of the product but by the effort and dedication committed to a project. I’m pretty sure it was something along those lines, at least. But you know what I mean. As far as professionally and career wise, that’s harder to answer. Depends really who your asking right? One day eventually though I hope to reach a level of just satisfaction with whatever profession I choose that it feels like I’m not working a day of my life, that’s when I know I’ve achieved success because rarely does that happen anymore.
Do you work to live or do you live to work?
No one should ever have to or ever desire to want to work simply to live. It’s the same as living paycheck to paycheck, barely getting by. I would associate myself with definitely living to work, it’s how we all advance and make progress these days. That’s the only way you find yourself, allow yourself to grow through new opportunities and challenges that present themselves every day. I’ve been a go-getter since I started walking, always kept my eye on the prize and looking for a chance to prove myself even further, regardless of the environment I was placed into. I hope to keep this mentality throughout the remainder of my time here as an Undergraduate but also outside this campus when I step into the real world.