One of the most rewarding parts of being part of a fraternity is the opportunity to meet brothers from the literal opposite side of the country and learn about them. Whether it is their interests, goals, or aspirations, our brotherhood is in no short supply of individuals with interesting stories. These stories fuel our individual brothers’ motivation and drive, ultimately leading them to Omega Delta Phi Fraternity Inc. In this first iteration of the Diversity Blog, I had the distinct pleasure to interview Benjamin Garcia Morales, a brother from Beta Beta Chapter at California State University Dominguez Hills.
Benjamin identifies as a non-gender conforming bisexual Mexican man. Born in Oaxaca Mexico, he moved to Los Angeles while still an infant
The most distinct trait about Benjamin’s personality is his comfortability with himself and the work he produces. I have met a lot of brothers who said they were capable of producing work or programs that were beyond their scope. Benjamin puts his money where his mouth is. He WORKS not only for our fraternity, but for his campus and his family. He accomplishes and conquers.
“I actually did an assembly meeting with Anthony Rendon, a congressman from California, saying we need more funding from CSUDH for our affinity centers.,” Benjamin stated in our conversation. “Now that I am in the board of directors’ position, I am a great advocate for the affinity centers here on campus, which is dedicated to helping our students, which is especially important since we are an eighty percent minority campus. I was able to rally a protest of students to maintain them.”
Benjamin’s campus involvement is not limited to just the board of directors at CSUDH. He is also the representative for the College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences. In this capacity he works directly with the Dean of the college, creating spaces and events that allow students to ask the Deans direct questions such as Dinner with the Deans
When asked about his intense work ethic Benjamin had a surprising answer. “I don’t watch TV or keep up with social media, so I am not distracted.” While I tried wrapping my head around the concept of a Gen Z-er not engaging in pop culture Benjamin quickly explained that he had to focus on helping around the house and essentially grew up without TV. This coupled with the fact that /Benjamin is an undocumented student meant that Benjamin focused heavily on his academics in order to better support his family in the future.
“I taught myself English when I was little. I would go to the library to prove my teachers wrong, and the librarian would help me with books, just like Matilda.”
It is due to this experience that Benjamin has become such an advocate for equity and inclusion not only on his campus but for other students who have faced similar obstacles and injustices Even growing up Benjamin had an in intense interest in ELA programs.
“I wanted to help them so that way they didn’t have to go through what I went through.”
In addition to being an activist Benjamin is also a computer science major with a minor in mathematics and anthropology, essentially giving him the makings of a future Tony Stark.
“Our goal to graduate our brothers really attracted me to the fraternity. The biggest resource for my anthropology papers have been my brothers. I have focused on the social part of anthropology, and I have seen the differences even within the religious differences among brothers. The conversation started as me being a smart aleck but the differences between us were really interesting to me.”
Benjamin also made it clear about his personality when it came to diversity and Omega Delta Phi.
“Diversity to me means basically different people, different backgrounds, different perspectives joining together to do one thing. There must be a goal for what you are working towards. For ODPhi that is serving the community.”
Benjamin Garcia Morales is an incredible paragon for our brothers. His confidence is nothing but infectious, and his story inspiring. Benjamin is an activist, academic, leader, brother, and a dutiful son. He exemplifies our values in all that he does, and I am honored to have been able to interview him for the first iteration of this blog. Brothers like him make this alum hopeful for our future.