If I told anyone I was involved in an all-female organization that was dedicated to the empowerment, education, and emotional support of its members, most people would think it sounds amazing.

But when I say I am involved in a sorority it comes with a negative connotation.

When people hear "Greek Life," they immediately think of wild parties and students who care more about what their plans are for the night than their test coming up next week. And when people hear "sorority," they think of what is often stereotyped in movies, all shallow, girly-girls, who live in their own pink world.

But, when I hear "sorority," something different comes to mind.

I think of dedicated women who have introduced me to hundreds of clubs, helped me study for my hardest class, worked hours to plan various events, and most importantly, become my best friends.

When I chose to join a sorority I did so in part to better my social life, but I also joined to meet other people who shared similar values to me.

From the outside, it is easy to diminish all we do to parties. But, from the inside, it would take days to list the different majors, successes, and job offers that girls in my house have received, not to mention the thousands of dollars that chapter houses have raised for hundreds of very deserving charities.

These qualities often go unnoticed, yet they are just as large of a part of a sorority as the social aspect.

My sorority makes a large school feel small and has been an integral part of my college experience thus far.

It is the people that I have met through my sorority that I am confident can help me on even my worst of days. The girls who I can cry with, laugh with, and be my true myself with while never fearing that I will be judged. Friends like that are hard to find, and I owe being in a sorority to introducing me to those people.

My house has taught me that sisterhood means unconditional support.

And that is something that the Greek community often does not find on the outside. To reduce Greek life to parties would diminish the academic, social, and emotional support that being involved provides. For all those reasons, my sorority is something I am extremely proud to be involved in.

Greek life is a system that has been put in place to make college more fun, yes, but also to make school about more than getting good grades. I know my college experience will be enriched through the philanthropic, academic, and social experiences I find in my sorority. I hope people on the outside can see that too.