#MeetTheLoveChapter President: RaShaun Brown
Staple Interview quote: "You set your own limits. You can do whatever it is you want to do. No one can stop you. Don't regret it and don't look for people to validate what you're doing."
As current president of the Epsilon Lambda Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., a leader in seven other organizations, and a full time student with three jobs, RaShaun Brown barely has time to eat before he gets a reminder telling him he has another meeting in ten minutes. He carries a frothy, cream colored "drink" with him to supplement his meals. It's a miracle he could squeeze a 30 minute interview with me into his Google calendar.
Everything he's doing now is in preparation for the life he plans to have one day. RaShaun's degrees in Sports Administration, Business Administration and Marketing, as well as the expertise he has gained in planning large events have opened many doors for him.
At the beginning of November RaShaun headed an event that brought Maurice Clarett, former Ohio State and Omaha football player, to Ohio University's packed ballroom. After Mr. Clarett recounted his story and took questions from the crowd, he signed books and took pictures with the ecstatic members—who had been given 15% off coupons for Ohio University Russel apparel—behind a table draped with a table cloth, free white lanyards and pens all marked with Russel's insignia.
RaShaun had ingeniously implemented his job as campus brand ambassador for Russel Athletics into the program. As I took pictures I kept hearing people thanking RaShaun for putting "such a great event together" and telling him what a great job he has been doing on campus. Maurice Clarett was one of these people.
"I had a fulfilling moment before I came [on stage]. When I was getting in trouble, I was running around with [RaShaun's] uncle," Clarett remarked. "It's cool to see his starting difference compared to what we were doing at the time; it's a different type of fulfillment. It shows how powerful personal choices are."
Everything he's doing now is in preparation for the life he plans to have one day. RaShaun's degrees in Sports Administration, Business Administration and Marketing, as well as the expertise he has gained in planning large events have opened many doors for him.
At the beginning of November RaShaun headed an event that brought Maurice Clarett, former Ohio State and Omaha football player, to Ohio University's packed ballroom. After Mr. Clarett recounted his story and took questions from the crowd, he signed books and took pictures with the ecstatic members—who had been given 15% off coupons for Ohio University Russel apparel—behind a table draped with a table cloth, free white lanyards and pens all marked with Russel's insignia.
RaShaun had ingeniously implemented his job as campus brand ambassador for Russel Athletics into the program. As I took pictures I kept hearing people thanking RaShaun for putting "such a great event together" and telling him what a great job he has been doing on campus. Maurice Clarett was one of these people.
"I had a fulfilling moment before I came [on stage]. When I was getting in trouble, I was running around with [RaShaun's] uncle," Clarett remarked. "It's cool to see his starting difference compared to what we were doing at the time; it's a different type of fulfillment. It shows how powerful personal choices are."
Even when Rashaun isn't working, he's working. The majority of the time he has left over in the day is spent googling facts about Fortune 500 companies using his purple encased Mac with a faded Bobcat sticker in the bottom corner. But this is the RaShaun everyone knows. Very few know the goofy, laid back, RaShaun that his fraternity brothers play Xbox and PlayStation against.
"I hate parties. I don't like having to be the one to tell people they can't get in for free. It kills my personality and gives people the wrong impression of me, and since that's where most people see me, it's who they think I am," RaShaun says.
Even RaShaun's freshmen mentee TJ Hayes was mistaken by his initial impression of him.
"My first impression of RaShaun was that he was mean," Hayes recounts, laughing. "The first day of the program, I was running late and he called me. I thought he was an administrator or something from the way he talked. He told me 'This is not a good way to start off.' and hung up the phone. When I finally got there, he was totally different, laughing and joking around."
The Westerville Central High School Alum doesn't have many regrets from his undergraduate years, but says he tends to let business come first and hold more importance than personal relationships. RaShaun admits he typically handles much of his personal life by himself, even the deaths of his father and grandfather. Though he and his father did not have a consistent relationship RaShaun uses the relationship they did have as motivation to continue "shattering" his goals.
He looks forward to the day he can go to his children's basketball and soccer games and "just be there as a dad." A former Westerville Central men's volleyball and chess club member, RaShaun plans to leave a legacy for his children and grandchildren who may one day sleep in a blue race car bed like the one he had when he was 10 years old and a Power Ranger enthusiast.
"I'll know I have been successful when I can leave a sustainable legacy within my family and all of the people I've come across," Brown said.
His mentees haven't even known him a full semester, but have no doubts that this is an attainable feat for Brown.
"He's going to be successful," Hayes, who now sees Brown like an older brother, says. "There's no end in sight, there is nothing he can't accomplish. He's taught me that I have no limitations as long as I don't do anything to stand in my own way."
"I hate parties. I don't like having to be the one to tell people they can't get in for free. It kills my personality and gives people the wrong impression of me, and since that's where most people see me, it's who they think I am," RaShaun says.
Even RaShaun's freshmen mentee TJ Hayes was mistaken by his initial impression of him.
"My first impression of RaShaun was that he was mean," Hayes recounts, laughing. "The first day of the program, I was running late and he called me. I thought he was an administrator or something from the way he talked. He told me 'This is not a good way to start off.' and hung up the phone. When I finally got there, he was totally different, laughing and joking around."
The Westerville Central High School Alum doesn't have many regrets from his undergraduate years, but says he tends to let business come first and hold more importance than personal relationships. RaShaun admits he typically handles much of his personal life by himself, even the deaths of his father and grandfather. Though he and his father did not have a consistent relationship RaShaun uses the relationship they did have as motivation to continue "shattering" his goals.
He looks forward to the day he can go to his children's basketball and soccer games and "just be there as a dad." A former Westerville Central men's volleyball and chess club member, RaShaun plans to leave a legacy for his children and grandchildren who may one day sleep in a blue race car bed like the one he had when he was 10 years old and a Power Ranger enthusiast.
"I'll know I have been successful when I can leave a sustainable legacy within my family and all of the people I've come across," Brown said.
His mentees haven't even known him a full semester, but have no doubts that this is an attainable feat for Brown.
"He's going to be successful," Hayes, who now sees Brown like an older brother, says. "There's no end in sight, there is nothing he can't accomplish. He's taught me that I have no limitations as long as I don't do anything to stand in my own way."