Pitinii '26 and Alpha Phi Omega Hosted Successful Light Up the Lakes
April 21, 2025By Fatima Magana '22
ALLIANCE- Light Up the Lakes, an event started by the Miner and Popovich families in memory of their sons, Daniel Miner and Matthew Popovich, is hosted by Alpha Phi Omega (APO), a service fraternity at the University of Mount Union. This year, Lukea Pitinii ’26, biochemistry major, organized and hosted the event. Light Up the Lakes is an annual event that brings together members of the Alliance and campus communities to honor their loved ones. Through a monetary donation, or non-parishable food donation, people received a lantern, and gathered around the Mount Union Lakes to light the lanterns, and send them across the water in someone's memory.
Pitinii '26
“Matt was a beloved brother of our chapter who unexpectedly passed away during his first year at [Mount Union],” said Pitinii. “He truly embodied our three cardinal principles of friendship, leadership, and service and heavily impacted those around him.”
APO setting up for Light Up the Lakes
Students at Light Up the Lakes
A student setting her light
Lights on UMU lakes
Members of APO at Light Up of the Lakes
The Alliance community at Light Up the Lakes
A member of APO at Light Up the Lakes
The tradition started 27 years ago, and this year, Pitinii and the organization raised $2,077 and 399 lbs of food, which was donated to the Alliance Community Food Pantry. As the vice president of Alpha Phi Omega, Pitinii has built organizational skills.
“It (Alpha Phi Omega) has given me countless opportunities to enhance my self-growth through leadership roles and conferences, as well as learning how to serve my campus, community, and nation selflessly,” said Pitinii. “Above all else, it has given me my best friends along the process, providing me with friendships that will grow with me in the next stage of my life.”
Learn more about service at Mount Union.