Above from top left: Brothers Koska '15, Kenter '13, Derr '12, Smith '14
Eells' "whole man" alive and well at Miami
Remarkably, on its way back to 90 undergraduates, Miami’s restored Alpha Delta Phi didn’t grow by taking just anybody. Alumni can take pride in these examples of leadership from each undergraduate class.
Wing commander and best buddy
Senior Michael Derr ’12 (Finance/ Aerospace Studies) is Wing Commander of Miami University’s Air Force ROTC, the organization’s highest ranked position. Feeling a responsibility to serve his country, he joined the Air Force as a sophomore and trained at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. He quickly rose through the ranks to become a Flight Commander and then Squadron Commander before heading the entire Miami Wing. Following graduation, Mike plans to work at the aeronautical systems center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton. Further down the line, Mike would like to qualify for employment in the Black Ops world of financial management and contracting.
Mike is the fraternity’s Philanthropy chair and Risk Management Chair. He was also president of Best Buddies, an organization of more than a hundred Miami students that befriend and build lasting relationships with children and adults with mental handicaps and disabilities. He was also an executive board member of “Walk A Mile In Her Shoes,” a philanthropic event promoting awareness of sexual assault.
Football champ — and president
Junior Eric Kenter ’13 (English Education), legacy of Adam Kenter ’10, is President of the Miami Club Football Team. Eric joined the team his freshman year playing center and serving as equipment manager. Rising quickly to become president this year, Eric serves as head coach and runs the team’s business operations including recruiting, fundraising, transportation and trip schedules for games against other schools’ club teams. The Miami Club Football Team has won back-to-back All Mid-Western Club Football Championships in the last two years. Kenter serves the chapter as Literary and Social chair and as Standards chair. After graduation, he hopes to teach English and coach football in the Cincinnati area.
Triple-threat academic wiz
Sophomore Hubbell Smith ’14 (triple major in Chemistry, Mathematics, and Zoology; minor in Piano Performance) from Gallipolis, Ohio, is the academic ace of Alpha Delta Phi. A triple major, he entered freshman year with 117 credits, making him an academic senior during his first year at Miami. His credit hours currently total 178 (the average sophomore has 45-50). In the Lorigan Lab, he’s using an Electron Paramagnetic Resonance spectroscope to conduct biochemistry research on KCNE1, a membrane protein found in the heart and the inner ear. Mutations of KCNE1's amino acid sequence can lead to fatal heart arrhythmias and deafness. Hubbell is proud to know his research has important health and structural biology implications.
Salsa-dancing senator
Freshman Nate Koska ’15 (Biochemistry and Finance) is one of the newest members of Alpha Delta Phi and one of the most accomplished. Nate is currently a Student Senator for the Miami student body, serving on the Diversity Affairs Council and the Alumni Committee. He has already authored his first bill, reorganizing the freshman honors cluster. Nate plans to serve as the Senate Treasurer for the 2012-2013 school year and aspires to become Miami University Student Body President in his senior year. Nate competes on the MU Salsa Team and maintains a 3.73 GPA.