Going through sorority recruitment during my spring semester at Syracuse was one of the most interesting, crazy, and fun experiences of my life. I, like most people, was incredibly stressed about the entire process when I first went into it. I had no idea what to expect and felt pretty overwhelmed by the idea of spending long hours running from house to house in the freezing cold and talking to so many different people. However, I really feel that I came out of it a stronger person and have learned a lot about myself.

Perhaps the biggest gift that recruitment gave me was self-awareness. Sometimes chapters see things in you that you don't see in yourself. You go into recruitment with an idea of what you want. You think to yourself, "This is me. These are the qualities I see in myself. This is how I define myself as a person." What we often don't realize is that there may be more to us than we believe.

During the recruitment process I was cut from chapters I could so clearly see myself in and called back by chapters I never expected would like me. I've always had a pretty good sense of who I am...or so I thought. As I had more and more conversations with the girls in each house and connected with people I never expected to, I began to realize that there was more to me than I gave myself credit for.

By preference round, the two houses on my list were far from what I expected in the best way possible. Looking back at a whirlwind two weeks, I would have been happy in either of them or most of the other chapters on campus. It is easy to define a house by its superficial qualities. However, when we dig a little deeper we realize that we all have a bit of each chapter in us and that sometimes the house that you belong in is one that will bring to light the traits that have been hiding.

I had so much fun during recruitment and it is an experience I truly will never forget. I can't wait to see what lies ahead with girls I am proud to call my sisters and friends.