Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words; and sometimes, a memory is worth a million words. Sometimes it takes talking to someone on the outside looking in to make you see how much you value someone. Sometimes, it's after a long day that you realize why you do what you do to be there for someone. And sometimes, it's in those moments when you are sitting among those you can go to when you need a shoulder to cry on, that you find where you belong. It's with them that you discover who you are meant to be.
In the past two years, I achieved many things. I graduated from high school with academic honors. I got my first job and was given a slight promotion. I joined an amazing sorority and made so many wonderful friends. I made the Dean's List my first semester of college. I was apart of a partnership that successfully helped a high school start their first dance marathon. I raised $300 for the Children's Miracle Network specifically for Riley Children's Hospital.
But with all of this success, I also failed. My second semester of college, I dropped the ball. My grades were lower than they have ever been. I went out too much and rarely ever studied. I was drifting away from the path I worked so hard to pave. I was starting to throw it all away. One night, sitting in my college dorm room alone, my sister and best friend looked at me the way she did when we met. She smiled at me, and asked if I was okay. I felt a swarm of emotion come over me as I looked at her. I couldn't tell her that I felt alone and like I had no one. There was no way to explain that I felt like a failure because I had fallen so far from my goals. I remember opening my mouth to speak, but no words coming out. I remember her giving me the biggest hug and telling me it was going to be okay.
It wasn't until my sorority sisters took me by the hand and helped me along that I found my way back to who I am meant to be. They have continued to show me that I am important and that I have something to offer the world. They make me feel as though I am capable of anything, and that I will strive no matter where I end up. They are always going to be in my corner.
My sisters have given me so much to be grateful for, and I had no idea as to how blessed I am until I was talking about them during recruitment. They are the Ross to my Rachel and I hope that they can say the same about me. After going through recruitment with my sisters, I have found a renewed love for them. I wear my letters with even more pride and joy than before. Thanks to them, I have a place to call home. Because of them, I know that every little obstacle will be okay, because they will be there for me.
