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Before discovering the Rambler Brotherhood Project (RBP), Emmanuel Ezeocha, a junior at Loyola University Chicago, faced isolation and contemplated dropping out.
“Ever since I’ve been a part of RBP, I have felt like an actual part of the Loyola community,” says Ezeocha, a double major in music and information systems. “It’s allowed for me to come out of my shell and understand that there are people that want to help me.”
The RBP is a student success initiative open to all students that is designed to recruit, retain, and facilitate the academic and professional success of students at Loyola, says Keith M. Champagne, PhD, Loyola’s vice president for student development. In an effort to further elevate student excellence, Brothers4Excellence (B4E) will be merged with RBP to create one enhanced student success program in fall 2024, titled the Rambler Brotherhood Project.
“We have a responsibility, especially as a Jesuit university, when we say we care for the whole person, to do a full wraparound service for those students who are most in need.”
— Jim Flavin , director of student success initiatives
The project is “designed to prepare students for success at Loyola and beyond, whether that’s the world of work or graduate school,” Champagne says.
Research shows that men across the country aren’t achieving as high as women in higher education, according to Jim Flavin, director of student success initiatives. This is disproportionately higher for Brown and Black men. At Loyola, roughly 28 percent of students are male—and they aren’t graduating at the same rates as women.
“We have a responsibility, especially as a Jesuit university, when we say we care for the whole person, to do a full wraparound service for those students who are most in need,” says Flavin. He says the program promotes success in four areas: academic success, sense of belonging, career readiness, and personal growth, with a focus on mental health.
“We’re about creating opportunities which not only will transform people, but it may save a life or salvage a dream,” Champagne said.
Ezeocha, who will begin an internship at Amazon this summer, is one of several success stories to come from RBP. Today, he stands as a confident individual devoted to “excelling for greatness,” epitomizing the unwavering Jesuit pursuit for excellence, or magis.
“My goals are to excel and to give back to Loyola, the RBP community, and the world,” says Ezeocha. “The reason why I will be unstoppable is because of the community behind me and the people who are in my corner pushing me forward.”
