Leadership Highlight

Treivion Sheppard, The President of Phi Beta Sigma at University of Texas-Arlington Opens Up About Leadership

In an effort to highlight the young leaders who are leading undergraduate chapters across the nation, we at Watch The Yard reached out to the brothers of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc.’s Theta Chi Chapter at the University of Texas-Arlington and did an interview with Treivion Sheppard the president of the chapter.

The position of undergraduate president in Sigma is a highly respected role and there is a special pride that one takes. 22-year-old Sheppard has used the position to gain new leadership experience, improve the lives of other students on campus and help the community around him.

We interviewed the Biology/Pre-Med major and talked about his position, goals, future and what it means to be a member of a Black fraternity in the digital age.

Read the full interview below.

What does it mean to be a chapter president to you?

Being a chapter president means a lot to me. Being president has challenged me in ways, that no other experience has done. I’ve met many people, and forged connections through my leadership position.

What made you decide to attend the University of Texas at Arlington for undergrad?

I attended the University of Texas at Arlington because I was offered an academic scholarship, and because of how diverse the campus is.

What specific initiatives is your chapter heading up this year and how do you think they will improve the campus/surrounding community?

Our initiatives for the upcoming year are HIV/STD Awareness and to increase college interest in young black males. Our HIV/STD helps the campus by arming fellow students with knowledge on how to prevent and treat STD’s. Helping young black males increase their interests in college, benefits the community by creating black men, who strive to equip themselves with an education; but also want to inspire others to have that same ambition.

What made you want to pledge Phi Beta Sigma?

I decided to become a member of Phi Beta Sigma, because their goals seemed to be oriented on the betterment of humanity. As someone who strives to become a Doctor, the well-being of others and humanity is a huge aspiration.

What is it about your specific chapter that makes it so unique?

My chapter is unique because we are a small chapter, and we attend a PWI. Yet, we work hard and attempt to make a positive impact on everyone at our school.

We now live in a digital world, what do you think undergraduate chapters across all orgs need to do to represent themselves online in 2018?

Undergraduate chapters should post as many positive pictures of them, on every social site available. This breaks the stereotypical feelings associated with fraternities and sororities. People would be unable to claim all fraternities and sororities do is party, if their timelines are flooded with our pictures of service, scholarship, and other positive entities.

What does leadership mean to you?

Leadership means someone willing to make the sacrifices and hard decisions, for the betterment of others. A leader is strong and encouraging , as he/she must use their podium to motivate others.

Why do you think Watch The Yard is important to Black greekdom?

Watch The Yard is important because is has a big platform on Black greekdom. Most Black Greeks follow the page, and using the page for positivity is a sublime way to impact others.

What does brotherhood mean to you?

Brotherhood to me, is not just someone who wears the same jersey as you. It’s someone who wakes up at 5am, because you need a ride to work; or someone who helps you through the everyday struggles of life. Brotherhood isn’t just doing what is proper, because we’re in the same org. It’s going that extra mile, because you genuinely care for that person.

What do you plan on doing after graduation?

After graduation, I plan to attend medical school. My goal is to become a Critical Care Doctor, where I hope to make my biggest impact of helping others.

We at Watch The Yard would like to commend Treivion Sheppard for his work as the president of the Theta Chi Chapter which has a long legacy that spans back to 1976.