As evening settled over Kean University, dozens of tables in Harwood Arena lined the walls, each featuring personal touches representing the organization: games and activities, their group’s unique colors, and most importantly, a vibrant atmosphere where members and visitors could share stories and learn about each other.
On Wednesday, September 23, Kean University kicked off Meet the Greeks for the fall 2026 semester. Over 20 Greek organizations participated, bringing students and guests together for an exciting night of performances and showing how they formed a community within their found family.
The diversity of sororities and fraternities present reflected the Kean community. From Divine 9 to local, Latin to multicultural, every student could find a table to call home at the event. The bleachers were packed as students enjoyed food from the concession stands, connected with friends, and cheered on each organization.
As an added incentive, the Greek Senate organized a raffle for visitors. After filling out their postcards with stickers by visiting tables, students entered their name into a raffle for a chance to win a Polaroid camera, JBL speaker, AirPods, Kean pillow and more.
During the touring, several members shared why they joined their Greek organization and how it has helped them through and beyond college. Gabrielle Mercado, a senior majoring in Communications in Public Relations, describes her sorority, Delta Phi Epsilon, as "just a really big friend group that loves service and loves making connections with people." In addition to raising awareness and funds for three philanthropies, the sorority also hosts sisters-only events such as Sistersgiving and Galentine's Day.
Mercado, who serves as Vice President of Recruitment, answered why her sorority makes her feel like belonging to a family: "We all let each other be ourselves," she said. "I came from a big family. I didn't need another family, but as soon as I met these girls, it was just a click, and it was a connection that works so well."
Chancellor Asamoah is a Kean alumni. In his time at Kappa Alpha Psi, a Divine Nine fraternity, he served as Vice Polemarch (Vice President). His fraternity emphasizes achievement above all. He described his brothers as "a great team of guys [that] always push you to be the best possible youth." Asamoah recalled how the organization helped him out during finals week. "I reach out to my chat and my bros, all of a sudden they're all there to help."
Leandro Montesino is also a former Kean student. He serves as Alumni Advisor for Lambda Upsilon Lambda, a Latino fraternity. "We were founded on four major principles: brotherhood, cultural awareness, community service, and academic excellence," he said. "Our biggest thing on campus is trying to engage with as many people as we can on campus.... We just want to give people a chance to join something, to find a bigger community—[both] within our fraternity [and] every other organization as well, and just increase more people in schools and more people graduating college."
Montesino's bond with Lambda Upsilon Lambda is familial on multiple levels, as his older brother preceded him in the organization. "I got to see a lot of the hermanos [brothers] that he met and introduced into the fraternity at a young age," he confided. "They took me under their wing, as if I was their little brother. So that camaraderie from the start molded me into the person I was, and as soon as I got to Kean, I already knew what I was gonna do, who I was gonna join."
There were many stand-out Greek organizations represented at the event, one of them being Nu Theta Chi, a sorority unique for existing solely at Kean University. Mariam Abdelwahed, a senior majoring in Psychology from Long Branch, NJ, explained how this distinction guides everything her sorority does.
"We're very, very intertwined with Kean University's history," said Abdelwahed, who serves as Vice President and Standards. "We have a very close alumni collection. Here at Meet the Greeks... you're gonna see a lot of alumni coming to support the active members, staying friends, keeping in contact, and having a lot of Kean spirit."
In addition to their robust local alumni network, Nu Theta Chi is able to host a variety of events each year. "Because we are a local sorority, we don't have a set theme. Most organizations have a set being for their committee service and philanthropy initiatives. We get to choose it.
"They're all about local needs. We stay local as a local sorority by doing our community service for New Jersey."
Like many students in Greek Life, Abdelwahed's bond with her sisters grew from academic help. As an EOF student, she received help from one of her sisters for a Biology class. "It's because of her and her expertise, that I was able to be great for my sophomore year of college."
The event lasted several hours. After the showcase, students gathered around the stage to celebrate, dance, and enjoy the rest of the night together. A photo booth was also available, giving everyone the chance to capture memories from an unforgettable evening.
Asamoah's greatest defense for Greek life at Kean is the tried-and-true 'it's the friends you make along the way' proverb. "You know, the whole bond is all love," he explained. "Just seeing that you've got people that look out for you in any aspect when things are getting dim, getting dark, having somebody to reach out to is always the greatest thing."
As Mercado put it: "I think Meet the Greeks is honestly one of the best events that we have. So many students get to meet all the groups because there's so many different organizations and we're all one: we're all Greeks. We all have a common interest for Greeks, and we love what we do. We love being Greek."
