This past week, my beloved sorority celebrated its 146th Founders Day, and it was my first time since being initiated not being there. 146 years may not be a long time, but in that span, hundreds of thousands of women have joined, pledged, been initiated and graduated into alumna status. You see, this coming Tuesday begins the series of fall recruitment events for UM, Meet the Greeks, an event which I had the opportunity to work for two years in a row as a Panhellenic Recruitment Counselor. Four years ago, it was the night that convinced me I needed to join a sorority, and hopefully this event does the same for all of the girls attending this week. While all of a sudden it feels as though I am about to be hit by a train, at the same time I cannot help but (you guessed it) reflect on that crucial night 4 years ago...let us digress...
They say that joining a sorority changes your college experience, changes your life, and changes everything for the better. They say it is this magical decision that puts you in control of everything that comes your way with the hopes that you find your friends, you find your passion and you find who you truly are meant to be. For me, it all started on that crucial night in October. Having come to college with the vision of going through recruitment, my decision to sign up was quite easy. I didn't even need to attend Meet the Greeks that night because I had already registered for recruitment a month ago, but I did anyway because it was right outside my dorm. I met plenty of sweet girls and began to find confidence in my decision early on. I went through recruitment as a shy, internally extroverted but externally introverted freshman who struggled to secure solid friendships in the first semester of college. I joined Kappa Kappa Gamma with the hopes that I would immediately love it and find my place and see all that was good with the world. But, like most things in life, it took time. Time that I didn't know then would be the greatest gift to me in the long run. Time that showed me it was okay to not make friends right away and rather focus on the experience. Time that allowed me to really develop those crucial freshman year friendships and find role models who could help me reach my goals. Looking back on it now, I actually think that the sorority made me who I am today in more ways than I could have imagined. For, if I hadn't joined, I wouldn't have made that crucial connection and found a spot on an event committee and meeting someone who made me feel special without even trying. If I hadn't joined, I wouldn't have been voted Homecoming team captain; I wouldn't found a love for the school I cried over when I had to leave or even thought about joining such an impactful student organization in the process. If I hadn't joined, I wouldn't have learned the right way to deal with heartbreak, to pick up the pieces and with them pursue opportunities I never thought were even possible. If I hadn't joined, I probably wouldn't be here writing this blog post or following my dreams in a city I love so dearly. If I hadn't joined, I probably wouldn't be able to pick up the phone and call someone across the country just to catch up or be a part of the funniest and sometimes most obnoxious group chat. To be honest, I probably wouldn't have anything I have now that I definitely didn't have before.
Sometimes it makes me sad to know that I'll never have that again; that I'll never be tackled to the ground in front of thousands of girls after 3 months of separation, that I'll never stand arm in arm surrounded by all of my friends watching the fireworks over the lake, or even just be able to walk into the suite and pick up a conversation with whoever is there. At the same time, though, each moment, each memory, each split second that may have once been taken for granted isn't anymore. It's part of the college experience; it's something that I have once lived that someone else gets to do now. Soon my friends will close out their college experiences and move on with their lives, and soon it will all be a distant memory, long awaiting a hopeful revival.
To the family, friends, sorority sisters, roommates, little sisters, advisors, mentors, and everyone along the way, let me again say thank you for everything you have done and continue to do. Thank you for not only giving me something to hold onto but something to look back on with happiness and pride; something that makes me proud to be who I am and stand where I am standing today; something that at the same time gives me so much pain because I would give anything to be back there today. I suppose the pain I feel on Tuesday will be pretty strong but at the same time I know that it's not there because I feel regret (I don't) or jealousy (okay, maybe a little). Rather, it's there because I know deep down that it means something to me. And for that, I am truly grateful. So to you, freshman and sophomore girls considering going to Meet the Greeks on Tuesday night, or even you shy introverted girls like I was who have no clue what you're getting yourself into, just do it. You have no idea how one decision and 4 years of experience can change your life. Trust me. It does.
Sincerely,
The Washed-Up-Over-Involved Alum Sitting in the Corner
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