What began as a difficult transition to college became a story of resilience, collaboration and community for Slippery Rock University graduate Angelina Guerrera, ’26. Through her leadership in Alpha Kappa Psi, Guerrera found a place to belong at SRU while also helping cultivate a supportive environment where fellow students could grow and connect.
Guerrera, a native of New Castle (Lincoln HS) who earned her degree in accounting in May, admitted that she had a rough start to college but that all changed when she able to find her “people” by joining the Iota Upsilon Chapter of Alpha Kappa Psi, a professional business fraternity. Her impact was so immediate that she stepped into the role of chapter president shortly after.
“Joining Alpha Kappa Psi was the best decision I ever made,” Guerrera said.
Although taking on the chapter’s highest leadership position was a difficult, it was a transformative experience that helped her learn to rely on the strengths of the people around her.
“I grew up as an only child, and with that, you learn to do everything yourself,” Guerrera said. “Alpha Kappa Psi sharpened my leadership skills and taught me how to delegate. When stepping into the president role, you have a team of 16-20 people who all have differing roles, and it was hard to let go of that ‘I’ll do it myself’ mentality. But I learned to lean into the trust aspect of the fraternity.”
While Alpha Kappa Psi is rooted in business, moving away from the social aspects of traditional Greek life, Guerrera found deep community and a profound sense of responsibility through the organization.
“Being the president has just been everything to me,” she said. “You do everything for the people involved, to set them up for the future, to make it a better experience than it was for you.”
That dedication to her peers eventually took her off SRU’s campus. This past February, Guerrera and six other outstanding upper-class business students from the Haverlack College of Business proudly represented SRU at the Alpha Kappa Psi National Leadership Conference, Elevate, in Chicago.
The trip served as a powerful reminder of how much she had grown, but it also brought a wave of bittersweet nostalgia, capping off a successful journey at SRU while forcing her to confront the fact that her time on campus was drawing to a close.
“Graduating now is bittersweet, truly,” Guerrera said. “It was so much fun being there at the conference with everyone, but in the back of your mind, you can’t help but realize that this is the last time that I’m going to get to do this with these people.”
Ultimately, Guerrera’s experience in Alpha Kappa Psi provided a valuable outlet to develop her professional skills while forging lifelong bonds.
Now as an SRU graduate, Guerrera leaves behind a stronger, more united chapter, taking a permanent network of support with her into the professional world.
This summer, Guerrera is preparing to take her CPA exams and she will be joining BDO USA’s Pittsburgh office as an assurance associate this fall. BDO is the fifth-largest accounting firm globally and Guerrera received a job offer after a completing a successful internship with the firm last year.
More information about Alpha Kappa Psi is available on CORE, SRU’s online platform for student organizations. More information about Greek life at SRU is available on the University’s website.
