New York Alpha Building Relationships & Communities in Guatemala

Some of the most important things a fraternity passes down never appear in a ritual book. This August, I learned that on a construction site in the Guatemalan highlands.

Along with fellow New York Alpha brothers Colin Manfredo ’27 and Chris Cardwell ’29, as well as Brian Yun, younger brother of Jay Yun ’28, I spent a week in San Lucas Tolimán, a town on the shores of Lake Atitlán, serving with the Friends of San Lucas Mission. The Mission’s construction program exists to provide “the structures needed for dignified living.” Our week put those words into practice, as we helped one family move from a makeshift shelter of tarps and scrap materials into a sturdy wood home with a concrete floor. There was something fulfilling about labor whose results you could see and touch, and whose purpose was never in question.

What made the trip exceptional was the involvement of two chapter alumni who had served in Guatemala for years before us. Dr. Paul Wise ’73 arranged for us to tour HOSMOGRESCH, the Mission’s hospital named for its longtime leader, Monsignor Gregorio Schaffer, and to meet Dr. Flor, a Guatemalan physician who spoke openly about women’s health and the challenge of domestic violence in her community. Bruce Clemens ’72 connected us with Agua del Pueblo, the nonprofit he helped found through the San Lucas Mission more than fifty years ago. At its San Gregorio worksite, we saw how the organization works to expand clean water access across the region. Together, these visits revealed a side of Guatemala we never would have found on our own: the work behind the work, carried out by the doctors, engineers, and community leaders who remain long after volunteers like us have gone home. Yet the deepest lesson came from the local families themselves. Again and again, we met people who welcomed us warmly and expressed such genuine gratitude for everything they have. Their outlook forced me to step back and recognize how much I take for granted. I returned home with a deeper appreciation for my own life, a lasting respect for Guatemalan culture, and a commitment to make service a permanent part of who I am.

Ultimately, I am grateful for the brotherhood behind this journey. Long before we arrived, Bruce and Dr. Wise had devoted years to the communities of Guatemala, building the trust and relationships that opened doors our generation could never have opened on our own. Their example taught me what no ritual book could: that the truest measure of brotherhood is what one generation of brothers makes possible for the next. It is a tradition I am proud to have received, and one I intend to pass on.

Brothers help construct a home for a local family in San Lucas Tolimán, Guatemala, through the Friends of San Lucas Mission’s construction program in August 2026. From left to right: Chris Cardwell ‘29, Brian Yun, Colin Manfredo ‘27, Garret Sisler ‘28

Brothers gather with local Guatemalan children during a community visit. From left to right: Chris Cardwell ‘29, Garret Sisler ‘28 , Colin Manfredo ‘27, Brian Yun

Garret Sisler ‘28 mixes concrete for the home’s floor as part of the group’s construction work with the Friends of San Lucas Mission.

Volunteers carry buckets and prepare construction materials outside a family’s new home in San Lucas Tolimán, Guatemala. The wooden walls and corrugated metal roof are in place as the team continues work through the Friends of San Lucas Mission’s construction program.