Omar Samaha
Omar Samaha (born 18 November 1983) is an Alumnus of Alpha Rho Chapter (Chapter roll #) at Virginia Tech.
Contents
Early Fraternity Life and Career
Omar enrolled at Virginia Tech in Fall 2002 after graduating from Westfield High School in Chantilly, Virginia. As a sophomore, he rushed Phi Sigma Pi in Spring 2004. Omar received a bid, and after a successful Initiation period, he was Inducted into the Chapter with the Alpha Alpha Initiate Class in April of that year.
Collegiate Years at Alpha Rho Chapter
Omar was an active member of the Chapter as an undergraduate and was a key member of several of the most successful Alpha Rho intramural soccer teams, including one team that made it to the Virginia Tech intramural soccer championship.
Alumni Years to Present
Omar graduated from Virginia Tech in May 2006. That summer, Omar was on vacation in Lebanon as war broke out. After 10 days, he finally managed to evacuate the country as official Lebanese Refugee #1584 of the USS Trenton.
On April 16, 2007, Omar's younger sister Reema was tragically killed in the same classroom as Alpha Rho initiate Erin Peterson in the shootings at Virginia Tech which claimed the lives of 32 victims. In the days that followed, Omar appeared frequently on TV in interviews by both local and national media on the Virginia campus. Following that day, Omar became an ardent supporter of gun control, most notably working with organizations, media, and lawmakers to try to close the "Gun Show Loophole" that allows guns to be sold by dealers to anyone without the identification or background checks normally required of all dealers. In this capacity, Omar has appeared frequently in various media outlets including ABC News, CBS News, the Washington Post, and many local news outlets.
Omar currently lives in Arlington, Virginia and works as a real estate agent.
National Involvement
- Roadtrips
Bigs and Littles
Omar's Big Brother is Erika Spracher, who is now an Alumna.
Omar has 1 Little Brother:
- Becca Bullard, Alumna
Further Resources
- Angel Fund setup in memory of Omar's sister Reema
- Omar on Twitter
- Omar's commercial on the Gun Show Loophole
Other Interesting Facts
- Omar's Video of Lebanon in Summer 2006
- Following April 16, 2007, Omar has frequently appeared in national and local media in interviews about his sister and his support of gun control