Five Missouri Alpha Phis will serve as ambassadors of the University of Missouri this summer. The Phis will be among the 35 Summer Welcome Leaders who spend approximately six weeks of the summer serving as the campus student leaders that greet incoming freshman and their parents on a daily basis.

Last summer, four Missouri Alpha Colony members served in the same position. Their role, as described by former Summer Welcome Student Coordinator Rachel Hensel, is to: “provide knowledge, resources, and engaging opportunities for new students in their academic, social, and cultural transition to Mizzou.”

Sophomores Ben Schnelle, Chase Mueller, and Alex Hackworth will wake up every morning and lead alongside newly-initiated freshmen Hunter Pendleton and Galen Bacharier.

Hackworth, a dual major in biology and psychology, hopes to make a positive impact on all of his students.

“I applied to be a Summer Welcome Leader because I want to give students the easiest transition and excite them for their future at Mizzou,” he said.

With a contagious passion for all things Mizzou, Pendleton, a journalism major, also wishes to infuse future Tigers with his school pride.

“I applied to be a Summer Welcome Leader, because I wanted to get people as excited about Mizzou as my SWL got me,” which, he said, “is very similar to my feelings of wanting to transmit Phi Delt to those who will follow after.”

Until the summer, the group of 2018 Summer Welcome Leaders will attend weekly meetings for training and team-building activities.

As part of the experience, they will guide incoming students across campus and prepare them for their college careers. Students attend informational sessions, club and resource fairs, and a meeting with their college advisers to schedule Fall classes.

Hackworth believes he’ll make a good impression on future MU students because he’s been advised and mentored by the men of Burnam Road.

“Phi Delt has surrounded me with such excellent men who continually push me to be better,” he said. “I think that it’s their drive for success that makes me a better person, and will in turn drive me to be the best Summer Welcome Leader I can be.”

One of the goals of the program is to ensure freshman and transfer students will have a friendly, go-to resource on campus. Hackworth and crew are prepared to provide that support system.

Photo caption: Missouri Alpha Phis who served as Summer Welcome Leaders in 2017 pose with the next class of Phis who will fulfill the role in 2018. Left to right: Derrek Hardy (’17), Chase O’Neal (’17), Alex Hackworth (’18), Ben Schnelle (’18), Chase Mueller (’18), Hunter Pendleton (’18), Galen Bacharier (’18) and Patrick Skrivan (’17).