A common mantra in the Greek community is "You'll end up where you're supposed to be," and after this past week I realize now, more than ever, how lucky I am to have ended up an Alpha Chi.
This past Sunday, my chapter was struck with a tragedy that none of us were prepared to encounter. We lost one of our most incredible members to a fatal car crash returning to State from a canning weekend. When I was first told the news, I felt my whole body freeze. I felt numb, and truth be told, I thought it was a cruel joke. I never saw this coming and couldn't believe that it could even be true, none of us did.
We had lost someone so close to all of our hearts and it was something that affected each and every one of us. As the news quickly spread all over Penn State and all over the country, I, and countless others, received a flood of text messages consoling us for our loss. And at this point, it started to become real; she was really gone and there was no going back. What happened shortly after, however, made me realize how incredibly lucky I am to have the most amazing sisters anyone could have asked for.
The bravery of her closest friends and the strength of her pledge class these past few days has put me in awe. They have handled a situation more horrific than most will ever have to encounter and they did so with such grace. The unconditional love we have received from each other is admirable to anyone who witnessed it. We have come together so effortlessly and through each other we are capable of finding so much guidance, so much strength, and so much love.
On top of this, our phenomenal alumni, women who may have never even met Tally, showed us support in these tough times. They created a GoFundMe page that quickly gained traction, and through this we were able to raise over $35,000 in memory of Tally. Even though money can't replace a daughter, this page will help ease the pain and financial burden that Tally's family is forced to face and the love of the thousands of people who donated will not go unnoticed.
Despite the bad rep Penn State Greek life has gotten in the past, I can tell you that, from what we've seen these past few long days, they can prove to anyone how amazing this community can be. Countless cakes, cookies, flowers, cards and money along with condolences have been offered by almost every chapter on campus. The support we have gotten is far beyond what could have been expected. The amount of flowers we've received is enough to plant a garden and the amount of food enough to feed an army. Everyone has been so quick to lend a helping hand and offer a loving embrace and it has eased some of the pain associated with Tally's passing. The Greek community has come together in the most beautiful way and they have been a blessing to us all.
Beyond this, Alpha Chi's around the country have reached out to us. They have sent us countless emails, cards and texts, and unending amount of flowers and an innumerable amount of love. No matter where we are in the country, we are all sisters. They have proven this time and time again as they have grieved with us and made sure to be our backbone in times of need.
Even past the scope of Greek life, the thousands of people who gathered this past Wednesday on Old Main Lawn to celebrate Tally is also a testament to how much love we have received and how many lives have been touched by our beautiful angel. Penn State is a huge community and it came as no surprise that so many people came out to support us. Watching the night sky light up in her honor was one of the most heartwarming things that I've experienced in my lifetime. To many of those who knew her, she was referred to as "the sun" and we were shown this as she lit up the night sky with her incredible soul. She's our sunshine now and no matter how dark the day, she'll always be watching over us as our Alpha Chi Angel, an even sweeter addition to Heaven than she was a sister. As her favorite quotes goes, "For tomorrow may rain, so I'll follow the sun." Thank you for being our sun Tally, we'll miss you forever.
#LiveLikeTally
