Delt Stories

When Shubham Shiwakoti joined Delta Tau Delta, he saw an opportunity to define the norms of the fraternity experience on his campus and transform young men with leadership capabilities to be successful in their post-graduate life.

Then, Shiwakoti, a member of the class of 2020 at Delt’s Epsilon Rho Crescent Colony at the University of Texas-Arlington Crescent Colony, learned about The Charge from upperclassmen. He realized this Fraternity program was the perfect opportunity to focus on goals for life after college.

The Charge is a five-day experience offered by Delta Tau Delta in Chicago. The Charge allows each participant to explore and reflect on his leadership style, hone his focus on professional and personal goals and examine his future role in his community.

With an eye toward Delt values, during The Charge men also complete tasks each day in the city of Chicago. On one day men work with representatives of Care for Real, a non-profit providing food, clothing and counseling service to those in need and a safety net for Chicago’s Edgewater community. The Delt men then work to pool their abilities and resources to provide support for Care for Real.

Shiwakoti, who served as president of the Epsilon Rho Crescent Colony last year, said The Charge exceeded his expectations and what he liked best was the opportunity to help underprivileged in Chicago and the lesson about what it means to be a citizen. He also gained insight into his future.

“If you want to figure out where you want to be in five or 10 years after college, you don’t want to miss The Charge,” said Shiwakoti. He has remained close with his expanded Delt network following The Charge sharing both points of struggles and celebration throughout the past year.

Before attending The Charge, Shiwakoti participated in Ignite, a Fraternity program for Delt’s newest members who are interested in leadership development. “Ignite was a good preview toward The Charge. Working as a team, finding your strengths and weaknesses and how you can use them in your chapter and your community respectively,” he said.

With one year left before graduation Shiwakoti remains focused on completing his bachelor’s degree in management information systems. He is interested in a career in software engineering or a related field. In addition to working this summer, he plans to improve his technical skills through online coursework.