A sorority girl? This was unheard of for my family.

Sure, I had been raised in the south my entire life and had seen many family friends join, but nobody in my family had ever gone Greek. I was raised to think differently than everyone else and to be independent, a dreamer, and to go far in my career. Apparently, in my family's eyes, one could not accomplish all of these tasks while being involved in Greek life. It actually took quite some time for my family to realize that just because I wanted to join a sorority, didn't mean that I was throwing away all of the values that I had been raised by. It just meant that I wanted to join a sorority.

I didn't go through recruitment until my sophomore year of college because it wasn't until I made it through that first year that I realized something was missing. I'm a dancer, so growing up I was surrounded by my dance company and we had become a family. In college, they were no longer with me and that tight knit group of girls was something that I often found myself longing. 

I can remember calling my mom up one night and telling her the words I had rehearsed so many times the few hours before, "Mom, I really want to join a sorority." Her end of the line became silent and I could hear the disappointment and concern through the silence. She went on to express her concerns for me and the challenges that I might face juggling academics and Greek life, but no matter what she said she would not change my mind. 

I registered for recruitment before going home for the summer to ensure that my parents could not change my mind about this decision. Although, they certainly did try. The gossip of a friend of a friend, who was hazed once, the girl who gained so much weight from all of the mixers, the others who dropped out because they couldn't balance academics and fun. I heard it all. Though it was annoying and it got old really fast, I realized they were only doing this because they want the best for me and they didn't want me to change from the young woman that I had become when I left them for college. 

After being in a sorority for a year, I have proven to my parents that stereotypes are just that. I have not changed my outfits, I have not turned into a Regina George type character, my grades have not slipped, and I have not turned into a party animal. Nothing negative has come from my Greek life experience, only positive opportunities have. It may have taken me a year to prove this to my non-Greek parents, but it was worth it.