My mom always told me that I would find my best friends in college. I believed her, however, a good portion of my future wedding party was already filled with the amazing friends I had grown up with it. Now it’s true that you can never have enough friends, but I have undoubtedly found my soul mates in college.

Soul mates are an interesting concept because they exist in rarity, yet come in all forms. Friends, siblings, teachers, teammates — they are once in a lifetime people. When you meet them, you just click — you can never really explain how you feel so connected to these people, yet their heart strings harmonize with yours creating a beautiful melody of trust and loyalty.

These types of people connect with you deep within your soul on such a special level without any effort — making you believe in yourself and who you want to become.

My freshman year at Elon University introduced me to some of the most special people I have ever met. Only 18-years-old at the time, I was unaware of how extraordinary Elon truly was, as I’m sure many of you feel the same way about your university.

Leaving the comfort of home, the majority of students are from out of state, hailing all the way from the East Coast to the West Coast. With brave faces, students are eager to meet new people, creating a breeding ground for incredible relationships to form.

Greek life has led me to these relationships. Joining a sorority excited me, as I hoped to meet new friends and become involved on my campus. I had no idea that I would be blessed with the best friends, sisters and role models I could’ve ever imagined. Taken under the seniors wings, I was welcomed into a world of opportunity — to grow, to learn and to become the best version of myself.

Little to my knowledge, I did not realize that by joining a sorority I was also joining the best group of friends I have ever had. All of the boys in our brother fraternity welcomed us with open arms. With an army of sweet, loyal and the most generous guys on campus, I found my home at college.

Having a big, steady friend group at college is very unique. Most of my friends have some girl and guy friends, but rarely have a squad like I do. I am so lucky that Greek life has led me to some of the best people in the world. To say my college experience has been unbelievable would be an understatement — I have most certainly made friends who have become my soul mates.

Enjoy your four years at college because they go by in the blink of an eye. Cherish all the fantastic souls that have crossed your path and always remember how fortunate you are to have these people in your life. Cheers to celebrating with our college friends forever.

“It’s not four years; it’s for life!”