It seems to me, whenever I tell people that I’m in a sorority, a look of judgment almost comes over their face. As if by telling someone that I am a member of a sorority, they know who I am automatically and don’t feel the need to ask any more questions. And as much as it bugs me, I can understand it. Because I used to do the same thing before I joined a sorority.

I am a member of Kappa Alpha Theta at Chapman University and it’s something of which I couldn’t be more proud. But, I used to wonder if women in a sorority were ditzy and only in it for the partying and the boys, because I didn’t understand. Since then, I have learned, it’s so much more.

Being in a sorority means being part of a family. It means being surrounded by women who you know will support you and love you no matter what. When you are down in the dumps, they are the people that pick you back up. When you feel discouraged and like you aren’t worth it, they are the people that tell you every day how incredible you are and how much you can achieve.

Being a sorority woman means challenging the boundaries and pushing yourself and the people around you to be the best person possible. It means volunteering and giving your time to other people who need help. It means fighting the hard fight and reaching for your dreams. There is so much more to being in a sorority then I could ever have imagined, and it has become one of the best things in my life.

Since I joined Theta, I have become a much more confident and kind person. The women I am surrounded by every day are some of the most intelligent, inspiring, and incredible people I have ever met in my life. I feel encouraged when I am around them and I know that they will be there to support me in whatever I do. If I fall, they help me up and dust me off. You never truly feel alone when you are a member of a sorority.

These women teach me to push myself and not be afraid, but also to be kind and caring to those around me. I am learning what it means to be an independent woman and to challenge myself every day. Theta has opened my eyes to all that I never knew I could accomplish.

The main goal Thetas work to achieve is being leading women. Being strong women in our community, standing up for our rights, never giving up, and working as hard as we can to be the best that we can be.

This is what our sorority was founded upon.

It’s not how much we go out or how many times a week we can wear matching outfits and chant silly things. Our founder, Bettie Locke, challenged the boundaries set in place for her and started the course that thousands of women have followed since. This is what Kappa Alpha Theta is about.

And just like Theta, each sorority has a foundation of strength and courage and intelligence, not one of beauty, or popularity or selfishness. But a lot of the time this is never talked about when the word 'sorority' is brought up by people who don’t understand what it’s like to be in a sorority.

All you ever hear is how hot one sorority is, or how much they party, or how often they match. Sure, we wear matching shirts sometimes because hey, it’s fun! But there is so much more to a sorority as a whole and each member of the sorority than just what they are wearing and how often they go out.

It can be frustrating to be a part of such an amazing group of women who are so empowering and still only be seen as a cliché clique. My sisters and I are so much more than just stereotypical descriptions that the movies have laid out for us. We have dreams and goals and some of us are already on our way to achieving all we’ve dreamed of and so much more. I am proud to be a Theta and I wouldn’t want it any other way. And I think if you ask any other woman who is in a sorority, she will say the same thing.

As a sorority woman, I am working constantly to break down the stereotype of what it means to be in a sorority. Because now, I work hard every day to be a leading woman in whatever I do and it’s all thanks to Theta.