This semester, Hofstra’s Office of Student Leadership and Engagement (OSLE) welcomed Alex Federico as the new assistant director of fraternity and sorority life. With her bubbly personality and contagious laughter, Federico is already bringing a fresh touch to Hofstra’s Greek organizations.
After receiving her bachelor’s degree in graphic design from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), Federico went on to earn her master’s degree in higher education and student affairs from the University of Rochester. While at RIT, a majority-male school, she joined Alpha Sigma Alpha with her roommate in hopes of finding more “girl time.”
“I just fell in love once I got a bid … and then at some point during my senior year I realized I really liked all my leadership positions,” Federico said. “I looked into it and I went into higher education and wanted to give back to the communities that I was passionate about.”
In her professional career, Federico has worked at Susquehanna University and Bucknell University, both of which are small schools in Pennsylvania with an undergraduate enrollment of less than 4,000 students. Hofstra] is a larger … more diverse community, which is what I was looking for,” Federico said.
“During my interview process I loved all the students and staff I interviewed with,” Federico said. “I was the most comfortable I have ever been in an on-campus interview. So, I kind of fell in love.”
A northern New Jersey native, Federico is moving closer to home by taking this position at Hofstra.
“I knew I wanted to come back near New York City and stay in the northeast,” she said. “It’s just a very different type of Greek life [than other parts of the country] and it’s what I enjoy.”
Federico began her new post at Hofstra in January and experienced her first sorority recruitment season just a few weeks ago.
“I really enjoyed it. The students were really dedicated,” she recalled. “They had a large recruitment team that worked well together … I think it [was] the largest recruitment that I have been a part of.”
Although Hofstra is larger than the schools where she previously worked, Federico has taken note of how Greek organizations on campus attempt to make the college experience more intimate.
“I think our community does a good job of welcoming their new members, encouraging everyone to come to their events and making that home at Hofstra for them. Especially with a large commuter base, it’s great that students can make those connections,” she said.
Now that she has been a part of Hofstra’s Greek community for a few months, Federico has also noticed some things she would like to work on in the future.
“Being a larger institution … on our [office] side that means we see a lot of the same faces. [We are trying to get] staff and faculty in front of the students more so we’re seeing them when they first join [and] making those connections so that we can help them develop as leaders and maybe [get them to] take on those leadership positions a little earlier.”
The new assistant director has already made herself at home in OSLE. “So far my favorite thing has been getting to know our [OSLE] team … I’ve become more comfortable and I’m excited to keep working on things.”
Federico will get her next taste of Hofstra’s fraternity and sorority traditions when Greek Week kicks off later this semester.
If you have any questions about Greek life at Hofstra, Alex Federico can be contacted via email at [email protected] or in OSLE, located in Room 244 of the Student Center.
