Before I arrived at college, sorority and recruitment life were popping up all over my social media; it was practically everywhere I looked! Seeing clips on TikTok or posts on Instagram, I really thought that sorority life was not for me and almost deterred me from rushing when I arrived on campus because I was a little intimidated. Our school holds an event called “Greekapalooza” to introduce Greek life to freshmen on campus. In all honesty, I only went to this event because there was free food provided. But, after getting the opportunity to talk to multiple people from all the different chapters, I realized how much I admired everyone I was talking to. As soon as this event was over, I raced back to the freshman dorms and signed up for formal recruitment with my friends!
After participating in recruitment and finally accepting my bid from Theta, my views on sorority life changed entirely. Sorority life was so much more than the pictures and videos show. It truly is a sisterhood full of people who accept you for who you are, lift you up when you are down, and cheer you on at every occasion. I never thought that joining a sorority would give me such amazing friends. Not only did I grow socially from joining a sorority, but I also grew individually by obtaining several positions within the chapter. My positions as social media director, vice president membership (VPM), and now president are what shaped me into the leading woman I am today. Each of these positions came with different challenges, but with my support system behind me, I was able to learn and grow along the way. I have everyone in the chapter to thank for giving me the courage and confidence to run for these positions and am so thankful for all the opportunities sorority life has given me.
My favorite opportunity that sorority life has given me was to attend Grand Convention in National Harbor, MD, this past summer. This experience exceeded my expectations as I was able to be in a place with many generations of women and meet Thetas from across North America who share the same love for Theta as I do. Meeting all these leading women truly made me realize how much bigger our organization is than just within the walls of my small campus. I am indefinitely thankful for everyone I was able to meet and learn from.
Leaving Grand Convention, I feel more motivated and confident to bring the knowledge I learned back to the amazing ladies of Zeta Sigma Chapter. I learned that the impact of Thetas can be seen all across the country and thankfully, because of Grand Convention, I was able to understand this by experiencing it firsthand. After having the chance to speak with many alumnae, I realized that I did not want to disconnect this sisterhood after graduating college. With alumnae chapters and groups, I would never have to lose this sense of sisterhood that I experience now, which makes me hopeful for the future. I cannot wait until I can soon be a part of an alumnae group and continue to grow the organization in a different way.
It feels surreal to know there is such a support system even after college to help guide me throughout my journey in life. I am so thankful to be a part of such an inspiring organization and even more proud to be a leading woman within it.