Being in Greek life is not always cute t-shirts and themed mixers with one another. My experience in my chapter over the last two years has been enriching and eye opening in so many ways. In 1928, an alumnae sister of my fraternity wrote a creed to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of our sisterhood. Decades later, and this creed is something that each chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha bases their morals and values off of.
The last couple of weeks, I have spent countless hours with my sisters, and it has reminded me why I love this organization and all of the women I share my letters with.
“To realize that within our grasp in Zeta Tau Alpha lies the opportunity to learn those things which will ever enrich and ennoble our lives,”
When I was offered my scholarship to travel to Ghana for five weeks, I had one weekend to decide whether or not I wanted to go. In that one weekend, several sisters reached out to me and told me how proud they were of me, and what an amazing opportunity it would be. They were willing to take time out of their day to sit down with me and weigh out the pros and the cons of the trip. Once I accepted my scholarship, I received nothing but kind, encouraging words. My sisters encourage me to enrich and ennoble my life.
“To think in terms of all mankind and our service to the world,”
One of my favorite things about being a Zeta is being able to empower and educate women through our philanthropy. Breast Cancer Awareness and Education is a philanthropy that touches so many people’s lives, because one in eight women will be diagnosed with this deadly disease at some point in their life. Philanthropy events are my favorite because I get to have fun with my sisters, and raise money and awareness for such an important cause. Whether it is getting pied in the face, or serving pancakes to the community, I love watching my sisters come together to try to help others out.
“To look for the good in everyone; to see beauty with its enriching influence,”
I love my chapter because I love how diverse we are. Our sisters are different sizes, shapes, majors, races, and so on. I have never seen such a different group of women share so many common morals and interests. This is a line I see each and every day. The days when I feel like I am the world’s worst human, my sisters lift me up and tell me that I am worthy. They look for the good in me, and they see my beauty when I fail to see it in myself.
“Remembering always that the foundation precept of Zeta Tau Alpha is Love, the greatest of ALL things.”
The final line in the creed is one that always gives me chills. When I look into the faces of all sixty-five of my sisters, I see nothing but absolute love. Love does not always come in obvious ways, though. Sometimes it is a hug in the cafeteria before running off to our next class or meeting. Sometimes it is leaving sweet notes in each other’s dorm room to encourage one another. Sometimes it is sitting in silence, enjoying the sunshine. From the moment I accepted my bid, until now, entering my senior year, I have felt nothing but absolute love from my sisters each and every day.
