NU ALPHA KAPPA FRATERNITY, INC. HISTORY

We were formed from a meeting that took place on February 26, 1988 at California Polytechnic State University , San Luis Obispo . Fifteen good friends gathered, of which eleven would eventually become our Founding Fathers. These friends called themselves Nacos -- a sometimes derisive term, but at its heart referring to those who give unselfishly and are friendly to all.

These Nacos wanted to demonstrate that they were an important part of the Cal Poly student body. They were enthusiastic about starting a club to help Latino students overcome the culture shock experienced when arriving at a predominantly Anglo university. As their excitement grew, they sought to create structure for their ideas. They decided to form a fraternal cultural organization.

Adapting the term Naco to the university fraternity system, the group officially became Nu Alpha Kappa Fraternity, or NAK for short. Although choosing to adopt the formalized structure of the fraternity system, NAK was -- and remains -- determined to distinguish itself from traditional "frats" by maintaining a commitment to the ideals of academic excellence, cultural knowledge, and true brotherhood.

The pressures of being the first Latino-based fraternity at Cal Poly were significant. Despite having many supporters on campus, there were also many detractors who anticipated NAK's demise. With steadfast determination, the brothers of NAK persevered.

Their hard work has paid off. Years later, NAK is one of the most respected organizations at Cal Poly -- and at each of the other chapters throughout California, Colorado and Nevada that have since joined the NAK familia.

Maybe what best sums up our Fraternity is our Motto which States:

Men of Mind, Men of Culture, Men of Pride.

 

RHO CHAPTER, UCLA HISTORY

As friends sharing common goals, each and every individual of the Rho Chapter Prospects attended UCLA with the same focus in mind –a prosperous future for not only themselves, but their entire families as well. Armed with boundless potential and a hunger for success, it quickly became apparent that no organization appealed to any of the members. Many organizations contained single aspects that appealed to each of the members, but none flawlessly presented themselves in every aspect that the members felt necessary. This need that the members had to push themselves to greater heights only patiently harbored itself for so long before it found a means by which to channel itself… Nu Alpha Kappa.

With his mentality already very heavily biased toward NAK, Alex Villavicencio ultimately came to the conclusion that NAK was something that the UCLA campus direly needed to be able to assist the difficult transition from high school to college of the many misrepresented underclassmen. Alongside his close friend, Eric Mendoza, the call was made to any and all of Alex’s friends that he felt would benefit from professional structure of an incorporated fraternity such as Nu Alpha Kappa, Inc.

The first meeting was held atop the roof of the Hillside Store next to Puzzles in the UCLA dorm area on a weekday night of Winter ‘04. With NAK Brother Walter Rodriguez spearheading the meeting, nearly 25 guys attended and began spreading the word about what NAK really was, and how it could help both the community and themselves. The follow-up meeting narrowed the number of guys down to about 15 individuals, and would ultimately yield the group of 10 members that are present today.

The connection of the 10 members was a transition made very simple by the relationship that Alex Villavicencio and Hiram Garcia had from their hometown of Santa Maria, CA. Hiram and his two other classmates and close friends, Juan Moreno and Oscar Ulloa, quickly found a bond with Alex’s friends, Jesus Abril and Mohamed Kargbo, because of their shared sense of humor. Also, Alex and Jesse’s friend Tony (Antonio Guillen) was asked to attend the meeting, and was accompanied by his two roommates, Eduardo Ruiz and Ritesh Salvi, and their “fourth roommate” Bryant Florez. They quickly began to crack jokes at one another, and before any of them knew it, were already riding 10 deep in a school where one finds power in numbers.

Although the process did not begin until Fall ’04, the members of the Rho Chapter Prospects found their shared bond months before they even knew there was even a process involved. As the saying goes, “We ride together, we die together”…it’s been more than a year, and no one has fallen off yet.