At 9:00 p.m. on a Wednesday night I said good-bye to my best friend in my driveway and then my family and I hopped in the car and left. That was it; I was leaving my forever home possibly, forever. Sad and excited I fell asleep in the car on I-65 headed south and didn’t wake up until we would stop off in the middle of the night. Leaving home is terrifying.
The University of Alabama is known for its growth throughout the nation. Becoming a larger, more reputable school meant recruiting people like me, people who would go far. I was always so excited to leave and looked everywhere in the nation, but my home was in Alabama.
Upon moving in, I was thrown into sorority recruitment. My best friend is a DZ at Tampa and told me it was one of the best things she had ever done, so I thought alright … I’ll give it a go. Those nine days on campus were such a whirlwind of emotions and I could not handle myself. At night I was living with a complete stranger, during the day I was thrown into the group of 50+ girls of whom I knew zero, all the while I just wanted a hug from my mom.
Then Bid Day came and I was one of the lucky ones who were loved by her top house. This article seems like my story but I swear its one of sisterhood and love.
I opened my bid card and saw, “The sisters of Alpha Gamma Delta cordially invite Steph Zielinski to be a new member of the Psi Chapter.” What. I turned to the girl next to me so excitedly and found out that we would be pledge sisters. That’s when it all began.
Being a member of Alpha Gam means that I am loved. Welcomed into our big beautiful house to be given a tour and to meet who would later become my big and then my best friend was just the start. Our sisterhood is one that is full of fun and love and Jesus and celebration. After bid day the best thing that happened to me kept getting better. In almost every sorority on campus there are over 400 members, but I knew that I chose the right one as I continued my studies at Alabama.
Alpha Gam is the biggest support network I have ever had: when I felt lost or scared I turned to my sisters. Two of my very best friends saw that I was homesick and took me with them to their home, when I was afraid I stayed the night at my big’s, when I wanted to have fun I called on other members of my class to go out or get dinner.
The most amazing thing that Alpha Gam has done for me, however, was help me find God. During Pref, I spoke to a girl who told me the sisters who supported her in her faith impacted her, and I blatantly told her that I had no idea where my faith had gone. I was raised in the loving arms of God but whenever I needed something I ran to my family, but they’re 13 hours away and at 1:00 a.m. on a Tuesday night calling them about stress feels like I would be a burden, so I turned to God too.
The Lord truly called me to him my sophomore year during Lent. Ash Wednesday I was sitting in the library studying for an exam and I kept thinking I need to get to church, I need to get to church. So I asked a friend to watch my books and I got up and left. When I got there I was welcomed by more of my sisters than I had ever thought possible. That’s when I realized, we are all weak, we are all imperfect, we are all in need of God’s love and to be shown that our fears are so much smaller than He is. That was the moment I decided I would come back on Sunday. With each progressive week I went to church, I would sit by more and more of my sisters. I would watch them be confirmed and would pray along side them.
Alpha Gam taught me that college parties are a blast, but it also taught me that there is so much more in life. Alpha Gam has kept me on track of becoming the best version of myself. So as we welcome this new pledge class I know that the best will keep getting better.
