A common misconception that surrounds Greek life is that we spend a large majority of our time going out and partying. Many people who are not in sororities or fraternities will say that we join solely for the social aspect. Although the amount of people that I have met and friendships that I have made because I joined a sorority are great, that is not the only reason I joined. There are so many things that Greek organizations do that typically go unnoticed by our non-Greek peers. If sororities and fraternities made the headlines for all of the money we raise, the time we spend, and the effort we put into our philanthropies as much as we make headlines for the few chapters that do something stupid, we would never be out of the spotlight.
What so many people don’t know is how much our philanthropies actually mean to us. When I walked into Gamma Phi Beta’s room on philanthropy day of recruitment and learned that their philanthropic focus is Building Strong Girls, that's when I realized that I had found my home.
There has not been a time that I was not made to feel self-conscious by the media and society’s idea of perfection. Women are constantly made to believe that if they do not look like the photo-shopped women on magazine covers or plastered across billboards then we are not “pretty.” We are told that if our stomachs are not flat enough, our legs are not long enough, or our arms jiggle when we wave, then we are unattractive. Young girls are taught that their looks are more important than their education; they are told that they will be rejected if they do not fit into the mold of “perfect” that society has created. And that is why my sorority’s philanthropy means so much to mean.
Being someone who has constantly struggled with self-esteem and feeling as though I am not good enough because I do not look like the super models that our society obsesses over, it means so much to me that I am able to help younger girls realize that they are so much more than their looks. The knowledge that the time and effort my sisters and I put forth in order to help girls realize their worth is what makes it all worth it. Knowing that the money we raise is being used to build the confidence of young girls is the reason I went Gamma Phi.
Being a Gamma Phi is about so much more than going to parties or mixing with fraternities. It is about becoming a part of something so much bigger than yourself. It is about Building Strong Girls and inspiring the highest type of womanhood.
Becoming a Gamma Phi will always be one of my proudest moments. I will forever cherish the lessons I have learned and opportunities that have come with joining Gamma Phi.
