I found my home | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Lifestyles

I Found My Home

Rush week lead me to my home and more than 150 sisters who will support me no matter what.

328
I Found My Home

In August I wrote about my first experience in the Sorority and Fraternity Community at Iowa State University. I was nervous about rushing as a queer woman, but now I have found a sorority chapter that is perfect for me. On August 16th, I was welcomed home to the Gamma Pi chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta and I will be initiated as a member on October 4th.

Throughout recruitment week, I became increasingly nervous that I was going to be dropped. I was visiting a smaller amount of houses than the other potential new members. I thought over my fears and decided to talk to my Rho Gamma about them. At Iowa State, we do value based recruitment. Before recruitment week, potential new members fill out a values bracket to find out our top values. My top value was acceptance. Throughout the week, I then realized what I needed in a chapter was acceptance, and eventually, I found that. I did not want to be in a chapter where I felt that I could not become my best self because that is the point of a sorority, isn't it? I would not be able to do that without the acceptance from my sisters. I found what I needed at Kappa Alpha Theta.

Kappa Alpha Theta felt like the right choice since the first day I visited. I talked to three woman on that first day and it immediately felt like a place where I would be able to thrive. The second day was equally as good, but it wasn't until the third-day (house tours) that it really felt like home. I was being shown the house by a woman who fake laughed at all of my dumb jokes, and then when I was asked back I knew it was the place for me. The fourth night was when it got real. During preference night, I was supposed to ask questions that would make my decision easier, but I had none; I knew I wanted to be a Theta.

Then at 1 pm on Thursday, August 16th, I was, and by tonight will be a fully initiated member. These past two months have been wonderful: I have made some amazing friends, I got the best big ever, and I finally feel like I have a place on campus. I have a group of women that will support and encourage me in anything I do. I was terrified that I was going to be dropped because of all of the stereotypes surrounding the Sorority and Fraternity Community. Yes, in some instances, I am still scared of telling certain people in the community about my sexuality for fear that they will not accept me. Yes, I am sure there are some people in my chapter who are uncomfortable with how open I am about my sexuality, but honestly I do not care. Most of the women in my chapter accept me and that is all I wanted. I am so happy at Kappa Alpha Theta. It feels like home, it feels right, and it will help me become my best self.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
ross geller
YouTube

As college students, we are all familiar with the horror show that is course registration week. Whether you are an incoming freshman or selecting classes for your last semester, I am certain that you can relate to how traumatic this can be.

1. When course schedules are released and you have a conflict between two required classes.

Bonus points if it is more than two.

Keep Reading...Show less
friends

Whether you're commuting or dorming, your first year of college is a huge adjustment. The transition from living with parents to being on my own was an experience I couldn't have even imagined- both a good and a bad thing. Here's a personal archive of a few of the things I learned after going away for the first time.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

Economic Benefits of Higher Wages

Nobody deserves to be living in poverty.

300164
Illistrated image of people crowded with banners to support a cause
StableDiffusion

Raising the minimum wage to a livable wage would not only benefit workers and their families, it would also have positive impacts on the economy and society. Studies have shown that by increasing the minimum wage, poverty and inequality can be reduced by enabling workers to meet their basic needs and reducing income disparities.

I come from a low-income family. A family, like many others in the United States, which has lived paycheck to paycheck. My family and other families in my community have been trying to make ends meet by living on the minimum wage. We are proof that it doesn't work.

Keep Reading...Show less
blank paper
Allena Tapia

As an English Major in college, I have a lot of writing and especially creative writing pieces that I work on throughout the semester and sometimes, I'll find it hard to get the motivation to type a few pages and the thought process that goes behind it. These are eleven thoughts that I have as a writer while writing my stories.

Keep Reading...Show less
April Ludgate

Every college student knows and understands the struggle of forcing themselves to continue to care about school. Between the piles of homework, the hours of studying and the painfully long lectures, the desire to dropout is something that is constantly weighing on each and every one of us, but the glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel helps to keep us motivated. While we are somehow managing to stay enrolled and (semi) alert, that does not mean that our inner-demons aren't telling us otherwise, and who is better to explain inner-demons than the beloved April Ludgate herself? Because of her dark-spirit and lack of filter, April has successfully been able to describe the emotional roller-coaster that is college on at least 13 different occasions and here they are.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments