We all know how Greek life is portrayed in movies and TV shows--and it's absolutely insane. While there are aspects of Greek life similar to the stereotypes, the media never really focuses on the genuine parts of being a part of such an organization.

I was a complete tomboy in elementary school and through eighth grade. I think it was a product of my love for dressing comfortably and also always playing sports. That reputation followed me into high school, where I was always considered an athlete over a “girly girl,” and I was fine with that. I wasn't big on make-up, didn't ever spend hours deciding on an outfit, and I definitely did not enjoy shopping by any means.

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Greek Life was not even on my radar until I got to college. It didn't play a part in deciding where I went to school, because I valued other things more than being in a sorority, which at the time seemed way too superficial for me to ever be a part of.

Fast forward to my second week of freshman year, and all the girls I had met thus far were talking about sorority recruitment. I really didn't see myself in a sorority, but everyone was registering for it, so I just hopped on the bandwagon. My sister was in a sorority, my cousin was in one at Santa Clara, and I knew plenty of other people in sororities...and sure, they looked fun but I was convinced that the sorority life was not meant for me. My parents, sister, and new college friends all reassured me that I was making the right choice to go through recruitment, so I was satisfied with my decision but also remained somewhat skeptical. It was a grueling three days, and I was hit hard when the house I liked the most dropped me. I was disappointed and confused, but I pushed on.

Initially, I was not very ecstatic about the house that I was now a part of, but I was in for a big surprise.

The first year was not the absolute best experience that I was expecting, but I still enjoyed myself. I loved being a part of that bigger group and having an immediate connection with all these girls. Although it took me a while to find my footing within the sorority, I really admired a lot of the upper class women that I had seen around. And while I was not in love and all gung ho with my sorority right away, I was not hating it by any means, so I made sure to make it to every single event as my best effort to get to know everyone as well as I could. I loved being a part of this big group, without having it take over my life. I had friends in my sorority and some in others and then my friends in classes, and I liked it that way. Everyone knows how sororities take over some girl’s lives at bigger schools, and it was refreshing that that was not the case for me.

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Rather, I knew this was a terrific establishment and sisterhood that I was now a part of and I did have a good first year with it, but I had not experienced my “moment,” as some girls may say they had either right when they got their bid from their sorority or anytime throughout their first year. I left school the summer after my freshman year seriously considering coming back and dropping out of it, but I am so glad I did not do that.

When I came back to school a week early for the start of my Sophomore year, all for recruitment practices, I did not know what to expect. I stayed in the sorority house for the week, and although that week was a lot of work, I really loved it... in a kind of weird way. Being with all these girls, my sisters, for six hours everyday made me realize how much I love being a part of a sorority. I made friendships with people that I barely got to know last year, and I was loving it. Plus, there was the added bonding of suffering through the week’s activities together, and I think that also played a part in my enjoying it so much (again, sounds a little weird, but it is a thing). The important thing is the fact that this week gave me a lot of my “moments.” I was loving my sorority more after this one week than I did at any point my freshman year. This immense love for all the girls in my sorority continued to grow off of that week, as we also spent the following two weeks practicing for recruitment every night. Each night, I grew more fond of this group and once formal recruitment finally rolled around, I felt as though I would be telling the potential new members how I truly felt about being in a sorority, as opposed to saying all the cheesy stuff but maybe not really meaning it.

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Well, without a doubt, by the time I spoke to the first girl during recruitment, I really meant it. This sisterhood is full of all different types of people, but we all mesh together flawlessly, and I could not be any more grateful for that and for finally coming to that realization.

Those three weeks really reassured me that this sorority is where I belong and I love all the girls for different reasons and am comfortable enough with all of them that I could go up to any of them and have a long, substantial conversation, and walk away with a smile. As if all of my love for my sorority was not enough already, it peaked at the end of recruitment. It was a special experience, to say the least, and I was overcome with a lot of emotions, but mostly boundless love for all these girls surrounding me. This was our last time as a chapter before we welcomed new members, and it was an extremely big “moment” for me as far as my sorority experience, to top off all my smaller moments I had experienced earlier on in this whole process.

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If you had asked me a year ago, there is no way I could have foreseen how much I now love all of these girls. Being a part of this amazing group of women is truly an extraordinary experience.

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