Balancing the DKE Brotherhood with Tar Heel Basketball

Choosing the right Greek organization can be one of the most important decisions that a student can make. For Zach Palmer, the decision to join Delta Kappa Epsilon was easy. He was looking for a fraternity that would provide a healthy balance between his academics and social life.

“It was important to me to find a group of guys with likeminded interests and that is what I found at DKE,” said Zach.

In addition to balancing academics and DKE commitments, Zach is also a member of the Junior Varsity Basketball Team at UNC. He is learning to budget his time as efficiently as possible.

“Time management has been crucial because I want to make the best of every situation that I am presented with,” he said.

Being an athlete has taught Zach how to make sacrifices. Although there are some DKE events that Zach is unable to attend, it makes the ones that he is able to attend much more fun.

“It doesn’t bother me if I miss out on certain events because I love being busy and having the option to pursue a lifelong dream,” he said.

Throughout his time on the basketball team, Zach has been able to transition many insights that he has learned as a member of DKE. This helped to make him a more cohesive member of the team.

“DKE has given me insight to work with different types of people, and approach problems with an optimistic, problem-solving mindset,” he said.

Although Zach does not plan to further his basketball career as a player, he aspires to have a career in coaching. Basketball has been one of his lifelong passions and as brother of DKE, Zach has learned to always pursue his true passions.

Zach is impressed with DKE’s high caliber alumni; he knows this network with be a huge asset after graduation. Joining DKE has been a very positive aspect of Zach’s college experience.

“The friendships I have made are ones I cannot imagine making at any other fraternity on campus,” he said.