This episode tells the heartbreaking story of Adam Oakes, a 19-year-old Virginia Commonwealth University student who died during a fraternity hazing ritual.Adam was excited about college. He was outgoing, compassionate, and the kind of person people naturally gravitated toward. But like so many freshmen, he also wanted to belong. That desire to fit in led him to accept an invitation to attend what he believed was part of a fraternity pledging process.That night, Adam was taken to an off-campus house where pledges were pressured to drink extreme amounts of alcohol as part of a hazing ritual. At some point, Adam consumed a fatal amount. Instead of getting him immediate help, members of the fraternity left him alone in a bedroom. By the time anyone checked on him the next morning, Adam was dead.His death shocked the community and exposed a hazing culture that often operates in secrecy, protected by silence and loyalty to the organization over the safety of the students involved.In this powerful conversation, Adam’s father, Eric Oakes, walks through who Adam was, what happened that night, and the devastating moment his family learned their son was gone. But Eric also talks about what came next. Rather than retreating into grief, he chose to fight for change.Eric founded the Love Like Adam Foundation, which works to educate students and families about hazing and push for stronger laws to hold organizations accountable. His advocacy helped lead to Adam’s Law in Virginia, legislation designed to strengthen hazing penalties and increase transparency around fraternity misconduct.This is not just a story about one tragedy. It’s a story about a culture that still exists on many campuses, and a warning that every parent sending a child to college needs to hear.Adam’s story is devastating. But Eric’s mission is simple: make sure no other family has to live through it.To learn more about Eric’s work, visit the Love Like Adam Foundation. (https://lovelikeadam.com)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.