It takes a certain kind of person to want to start a fraternity chapter. Someone with unwavering dedication to his or her values.
Someone with drive, passion and a desire to be better. Someone with a team-focused attitude and an ability to stay calm in stressful situations. Someone looking for more out of his college experience.
It makes perfect sense that Grant Lyon would be a founding father for the Kappa Lambda chapter at Grand Valley State University. "Starting out as a freshman on the hockey team, I got the hockey experience throughout my freshman year. I did all the fun stuff that goes into being a hockey player but I wasn’t getting enough," said Lyon.
"ATO came along my sophomore year and helped guide me through my college experience." Lyon had plenty of opportunities to join an existing fraternity, but it just wasn’t right for him. "Their values and their ideals didn’t really match up with the kind of person I am, so I threw them to the side," he said. "Now that I am a part of ATO, I bleed ATO. ATO is all that matters to me." Take a look at Lyon's undergraduate career and it becomes clear that ATO isn't the only thing he's doing. The star goalie for the GVSU hockey team is also double majoring in human resource management and corporate finance, president of the hockey club and started an alumni scholarship all while serving a term as ATO chapter president and maintaining a 3.00 GPA.
"One thing I learned from ATO and my brothers is to be organized, to keep track of your studies, to manage your time effectively." Something Lyon lacked early in his college career but came to light through the chartering process. "You have to have the drive and the passion to get things done on a timely basis," he said.
"The passion and the drive I have for ATO comes from my competitive nature being a hockey player. When I’m out on the rink I strive to be the best and I play the game to win," said Lyon. "As a goaltender, you always have to be prepared and always take everything into account."
Winning on the ice is an understatement. On the ice, Lyon is a two-time MVP, a First Team All-American and First Team All-Central Region."He has a key to the locker room and that’s not by accident that’s by design," said GVSU Hockey Head Coach Mike Forbes. "You’ve got somebody that’s prepared, somebody that pays attention and is focused and is present. So often with everything that is going on with players at this level… emotionally and mentally they’re somewhere else and that’s one thing with Grant, when he comes to the rink you know this is where he’s at and this is what he’s wanting to do."
"If you want something, you've got to work for it and if you want it badly enough, anything is possible," said Lyon.Lyon’s leadership abilities on the ice have transferred well to his ATO experience. "Seeing him have a calm collective head has helped me remain calm in my term," said Chapter President Raymond Yeow. "I think that’s key… with things that need to be addressed, you always have to keep a cool, calm collective head or else things will get blown out of proportion."
But it’s not a one-way street. He also takes ATO onto the ice. "He’s done a very good job in helping with the fraternity, he’s done a very good job in helping with his teammates," said Forbes. "He looks for opportunities to combine the two. I thought it was a great opportunity for him and I thought it spoke a lot to his character as a young man."