Most incoming freshmen cannot wait for the day that they can "run home" to their future sorority or fraternity. As for me, I come from a family in which all of my cousins were part of fraternities and sororities when they were in college.

While some aspects of Panhellenic sorority life appealed to me, the partying and drinking aspect did not. I did want to be involved in that side of Greek life, so I searched for a Greek organization that aligned with my values and that was comprised of members who were academically-focused yet fun people to be around, and that's when I found Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity. And frankly, my college experience became a lot better.

Leading up to initiation, I was extremely excited to "get my letters" and wear them with pride, but I was especially excited for the people in the organization to become my brothers. I was excited for them to become not just my friends, but also my family. It was at our Big/Little reveal barbecue that I first felt that sense of belonging like I had found my place and my "home away from home." I was matched with my Big and it all went uphill from there.

In the weeks prior to initiation, I bonded with my fellow initiates. We became close and got to know each other more and more each day. I also got to know the active brothers really well, and I realized that I had so much in common with both my fellow initiates and the active brothers. In fact, one night, after an event, I called my parents and brother and told them that I was confident that this choice to join an honors fraternity was one of the best decisions I had ever made.

After becoming initiated, I was undoubtedly the happiest I had been in a long time. I felt like my brothers were always there for me no matter what, and that they truly accepted me for who I am. It took a long time for me to find my niche within UCF's large campus, but I had finally found it. When I want to grab dinner with someone, one of my brothers is always there. When I want to study in the library for hours upon hours, one of my brothers is always there to encourage me and help me get through a difficult assignment. For that, I am always thankful, because, without my brothers and the fun times and intense yet entertaining study sessions we have together, I would not like college. And although it may sound silly, we are, and will always be, brothers for life.

Not to mention, through being a part of this amazing fraternity, although it has only been for a short time, I have grown as a person and learned to step outside of my comfort zone. As a result of joining Phi Sigma Pi, I have gotten to meet so many wonderful people that I wouldn't have met otherwise. Before rushing, I was socially anxious and no longer enjoyed socializing with my peers like I had in the past. Now, I am becoming more and more confident in my socializing abilities and I look forward to social events and our chapter meetings each week.

So, for all this and more, a big thank you goes out to Phi Sigma Pi and to my brothers for all that you've done for me in the short time I've been part of this fraternity. I can't wait to see what is in store for us, the brothers of the Gamma Chi chapter, in years to come. And for those of you who haven't felt like you have found your place in college yet and are considering "going Greek" but want to do so in a non-traditional way, I suggest you do it. Trust me, you won't regret it. It'll most likely be one of the best decisions that you'll ever make while in college.