After my first year of at Bridgewater State College, many of my Black, Latino and other friends of color were no longer student of the institution. I discovered that Black and Latino males were dropping out of school at a disproportionate rate compared to their female and Caucasian classmates. This realization caused me to consider that there was a void of historically black fraternities and sororities at Bridgewater State College, therefore adding to the lack of support on campus. In researching other fraternal chapters in the surrounding areas, I chose to re-establishing a long lost Iota Phi Theta chapter that once existed at BSC. Unfortunately, the numbers of men of color were limited at Bridgewater; thus, providing a challenge to build a pledge group large enough with the required grade point averages needed to join the fraternity. That is when I decided to help men of color improve their grades as well as increase the social supports available for Black and Latino males at Bridgewater State College.
In 2002, along with some other concerned men of color, I founded a program called Men Integrated into Brotherhood. The credo of the organization is, “Building a strong foundation, for future generations, through brotherhood and education.” To this day, MIB still provides a safe place for men of color at Bridgewater State University. My experience of creating a way for young men of color to bond, communicate and thrive educationally is imprinted on who I am as a professional and I continue to do work in this area today.