MONMOUTH, Ill. – Arturo Monroy ’20 has figured out a way to get back the spring semester experiences he’s missed at Monmouth College this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic: He’s coming back as a student next spring.
“A lot of things were taken from me,” said Monroy, a member of Alpha Tau Omega, who earlier this month was named Greek Man of the Year at the annual Fraternity and Sorority Life Awards ceremony. “Baseball got cut short. My senior year got cut short. It was a bittersweet ending.”
Until it wasn’t.
“I recently decided to come back for an extra semester,” said Monroy, a pitcher on the Fighting Scots team. “I’m a math major, and the College just added data science recently. I’m going to come back and finish that major, too. I really want to get into sports analytics, and when they added data science, I thought, ‘This is what I’ve been wanting to do.’”
Monroy said his involvement with ATO, which he currently serves as recruitment chair, sharpened him academically.
“We have a GPA standard, and the guys all hold each other accountable,” he said. “It really helps to have that support system. Also, when I was new to college, it helped to have the support system in place as a way to make new friends.”
Monroy’s initial connection to ATO was through the baseball team.
“I kind of had an idea when I went to college that I wanted to be a part of Greek life,” said the 6-foot-2 right-hander. “When I first got to Monmouth, a lot of the guys on the baseball team were in ATO. They started inviting me over for different events, and it just went from there.”
As his involvement with the fraternity grew, so did what he was able to accomplish personally.
“Because of my involvement with ATO, I really broke out of my shell from my freshman year. I’ve become much more outgoing than I was before,” he said. “It also got me involved in a lot of amazing philanthropies, like Xi Man.”
Monroy also participated in – and won – Pi Beta Phi’s “Lip Sync for Literacy” fundraiser, wowing the crowd with his interpretation of Justin Bieber’s “One Time.”
“Being a part of ATO has helped me be involved in campus in more than just athletics,” said Monroy, who is also minoring in Spanish and media communications. “It’s really allowed me to be a part of the campus community and to get out into the local community, as well.”
Monroy will now be the reigning Greek Man of the Year when next spring’s awards ceremony rolls around.
“I’m really grateful for the honor,” he said. “Even though I knew I’d probably be involved in Greek life, I didn’t think I’d get as involved as I did. But now I’m a part of the day-to-day operations and I’m involved with other Greek organizations, too. I love doing what I do for Greek life at Monmouth College, and I’m excited that I’m going to be able to finish my time at Monmouth the way I want to finish it.”
