Congratulations!
You just finished one of the most stressful and rewarding weeks of your life - Recruitment Week.
I know you're exhausted, you're not at all ready for school to be back in session and you're starting to get stressed about all of the things you have to do this semester. But more than all of that, I hope you're excited and I hope that you're proud.
When you signed up for recruitment, you signed up for something that has the potential to change your life and when you opened your bid card and you ran out in your new letters, you did.
You don't know it yet - but this is what home feels like.
My sisters have been with me on my very best and my very worst days and it may sound cheesy, but on many occasions, they saved my life. They made me a better version of myself and honestly, I don't even think they know it.
They have been my family when my family was so far away. They were my other halves when my heart was broken. They have lunch with me when I don't want to eat alone. They're my 2 a.m. Waffle House dates and the girls who have held me when I cried.
You don't know it yet - but this is what a sisterhood looks like.
My letters have sparked conversations with congressmen and women when they notice the pin on my lapel. They have pushed me beyond my comfort zone to pursue internships and jobs thousands of miles away from home.
They motivate me to get up for class when I've been up all night studying and all I want to do is sleep in. They encourage me to be courageous and gracious in all of my interactions. My letters keep me sane and they keep me smiling.
You don't know it yet - but this is what true love is.
I don't know what motivated you to decide to Go Greek. I don't know your history and I don't yet know who you are, but what I do know is what this sisterhood will do for you. This sisterhood is going to change your life.
You'll find your best friends, your bridesmaids, your prayer warriors, your game day buddies, your road trip partners and you'll find a family that I don't even think you know that you need. My letters are the greatest thing I ever received and I hope that will be reflected in you. I hope that as your older sister, I will have the same impact on you that my older sisters had on me. I hope that you find a confidant, a mentor, and someone you can always rely on.
Please remember that this is so much more than sticker you get to put on your back windshield or the cover of your laptop. It's so much more than pretty jerseys and cute t-shirts. It's more than formals and parties.
It's a badge of honor.
Your letters represent a tribe of women who have come before you to make our sisterhood the beautiful thing that it is today. Respect it, cherish it, and get everything you can possibly get out of it. Go to everything. Talk to everyone. Love every minute of it because I promise four years, three years, it's going to go by so fast and you're going to miss it.
I love you, my sister. I am so proud to share my letters with you. Wear them with pride.