Ethan Oxendine named CEL Student of the Month

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Ethan Oxendine
Ethan Oxendine

Ethan Oxendine has been named Campus Engagement and Leadership's (CEL) Student of the Month for February at UNC Pembroke.

The student spotlight program was created to celebrate the impact of CEL student workers on the success of the department and the programs it hosts. Each month the department nominates and selects students who meet the following standards: commitment to the office, personal responsibility and accountability, and passion for everyday leadership.



Oxendine is a junior majoring in biology and hails from Pembroke. During his time at UNCP, he has become very engaged on campus and in the local community. He currently serves as the vice president of Phi Sigma Nu Fraternity while also serving as a member of the Native American Student Organization (NASO). He is also employed as a student building manager with University Center and Programs. During his spare time, Oxendine volunteers with the local Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina to assist with culture classes and also actively participates in local powwows.

"Ethan has grown from being a shy, dependable leader to routinely bringing greetings to crowds exceeding 1,500 and traveling around the country representing CEL in leadership roles. We are all very excited to see Ethan’s continued growth as a student leader and his continued work with the Fraternity and Sorority Life branch of CEL," explained Lamar James, associate director for Fraternity and Sorority Life.

Oxendine is a proud member of the Alpha Chapter of Phi Sigma Nu Fraternity Inc., the nation’s first and largest Native American Fraternity. Through his servant leadership in the fraternity and sorority life community at UNCP, he has been selected to represent his fraternity at the national level on multiple occasions. He recently traveled to Washington D.C. for the 2019 ROADTRIP Leadership Conference where he learned how to protect, improve and expand culturally-based fraternal organizations. Ethan also represented his fraternity at The Association of Fraternal Leadership and Values (AFLV) held in Indianapolis, I.N. AFLV is the largest annual conference in the nation dedicated to fraternities and sororities, and the conference has close to 300 campuses engaged and over 4,000 fraternity and sorority members in attendance each year.



Penny Oxendine, facilities reservation manager for University Center and Programs shared, “During his time with us, Ethan has become very important to our team. Ethan is a leader, hard worker and very dependable. He is always at work on time and he never calls out or misses work. I can ask Ethan to do anything and I know with all my heart that the job will get done. I do not have enough words to describe Ethan. He is very deserving of the Student of the Month.”



Director of University Center and Programs Aubrey Swett, agrees. “Campus Engagement and Leadership has chosen the right guy. Ethan is an amazing student employee with the University Center and Programs office. Ethan has embraced his role as building manager. He is devoted and dependable in his efforts to provide excellent service and support for events and programs hosted in the Chavis University Center buildings. Ethan is often acknowledged and appreciated for his excellent customer service and attentiveness to enhance the customer experience. Our staff are pleased with his development, dedication and the leadership that he has demonstrated through his involvement at UNCP. We are proud of Ethan and the recognition of his leadership and exceptional work ethic.”