Before I came to college, joining a sorority was one of my top priorities. My family has been in Greek life, so as a kid I heard so many positive things about it. But as I got older, the less I heard good things and the more bad things I heard. “You’re just paying for your friends,” “All Greek people do is party,” the list goes on, but as I entered my freshman year here at this amazing university, I could hear nothing but amazing things about the Greek life here on campus. I remember walking to class the first week of school and seeing all the sorority sisters walking together, having there matching letter bags, wearing their letters all around campus and most importantly looking like best friends. Before I knew it I was signed up for fall recruitment and was only hoping for the best.

Being an only child I had never experienced anything like “sisterhood” until fall recruitment came around. Being in a tent full of the most genuine, nice, down to earth girls who honestly just want to get to know you was the best feeling in the world. Looking around and asking myself day after day “Could I consider some of these girls my sisters?” Well before I knew it I was jumping off that stage with my roommates into the loving, incredible arms of Zeta Tau Alpha and little did I know that at that moment my life would change forever. Running into the open arms of my sisters was the best feeling, I felt like now at this university I actually belonged somewhere.

My new member class is filled with some of the most loving, caring and amazing girls I have ever got the pleasure to meet. Even the senior girls who still sometimes intimidate me, I love them all so much and look up to each and every one of them. These girls in my sorority keep amazing me every day by the way 80 plus girls can be put into one group and all care for each other so much. I could not see myself anywhere else and as my freshman year comes to an end I can say that ZTA made me a better person. This sorority has given me so much this past year and I will never be able to thank them enough, without Zeta I don’t know what I would be doing honestly, this sorority made me love my university and be the happiest I have ever been.

Now as I look around the crowded library table I’m studying at for finals and see my best friends who are also my sisters I smile knowing that these girls will be in my life for more than just the four years. These girls are my older sisters, my friends and role models. Going Greek changed my life in the most positive way, those stereotypes you hear about us aren’t true, trust me, I always ask myself “What if I listened to the negatives of Greek life?” Well if I did and didn’t join Greek life I would have been making the worst mistake. My sorority and every other one here on campus are filled with the hardest working, devoted, caring girls that you can meet. We all work together to try and make a difference in the world with our philanthropy’s and live up to the standards of the past generations of our sororities. I could not be more proud to call myself a Zeta Tau Alpha, and I thank ZTA every day for giving me so much happiness and change in my life.