As Work Week 2016 comes to a close I have never felt closer to my house and the community I joined just a year ago. I remember, as a Potential New Member, the excitement I had going into Formal Fall Recruitment. It was an opportunity for me to find a home away from home, life long genuine friendships and inspiring role models. I was also incredibly nervous, there was no certainty in where I would be living for my freshmen year of college. However, I was certain I wanted to join the Greek community and find my place within it.
After the most amazing year of my life, I am back for round two at the University of Washington and incredibly lucky to be a member of Gamma Phi Beta. I truly found my people and my happy place by putting complete faith in the recruitment process, despite how terrifying it may be at some points in time. While all chapters geared up for this next exciting week of welcoming new women into their beautiful homes, UW PanHellenic brought in the spunkiest and most engaging speaker to remind all chapters on our campus why we are so lucky to be a part of this thing we call ‘sorority’.
KJ McNamara, with the organization Phired Up, threw it way back and reminded us why sororities were founded. College was, once upon a time, a scary and oppressive place for women. They were only allowed to major in ‘maternal’ subjects, such as teaching or nursing. However, fraternal organizations existed with the sole goal of helping members to be successful professionally and grow into well-rounded men. On May 15th 1851, Eugenia Tucker of Wesleyan College decided it was time for women to band together and help each other to thrive in the collegiate environment. On that day she founded the first sorority organization, Alpha Delta Pi. It took just one confident, brave woman to start a chain reaction resulting in the amazingly diverse, philanthropic, supportive sororities of today. Really, the OG feminist movement.
KJ then stated a statistic that blew me away. Sorority women are the most educated population in the world. Well of course, they are collegiate organizations. Yes, slightly obvious, but still inspiring. The realization that I am a part of the most driven, intelligent and successful group of women in the world literally gives me goose bumps every time I stop to think about it.
I cannot wait for recruitment and allowing other women the opportunity to join such an incredible support system.
