My Pledging Experience With Omega Phi Alpha
Start writing a post
Student Life

My Pledging Experience With Omega Phi Alpha

The reflections of a newly inducted sorority sister.

623
My Pledging Experience With Omega Phi Alpha
Jyoti Lalitha Kumar

At the beginning of this semester, I decided to rush for a sorority. Being an international student, I felt that this would be a great opportunity to meet new people and make friends. I decided to rush for the Panhellenic sororities first. With no intention to offend anybody, I have to say the Panhellenic sororities did not seem to be the right place for me, and hence, I decided to back out.

In the beginning of September, I was walking across Talley Student Union when I bumped into the table of Omega Phi Alpha, the national service sorority, and my current sorority. Founded in 1967 in Bowling Green, Ohio, this sorority focuses mainly on friendship, leadership, and service as its cardinal principles.

Having a background of service myself, I felt that this would be a great way for me to continue with service in college and make friends and meet new people. I decided to rush for this sorority and got a bid.

The experience ever since has been nothing but amazing.

Starting from Bid Day where we officially got inducted as pledges to the service events that we have to attend to fulfill our service requirements, everything has been a great experience.

There have been many events that I was a part of, events such as SAS Breast Cancer Awareness, a pancake dinner for Dance Marathon, a haunted forest, volunteering with habitat for humanity, baking bread for a local charity, Operation Christmas Child, passing out encouraging notes to the university community, etc.

The ones that I personally enjoyed the most have to be when we assisted a past professor of NC State to put up a haunted forest for children on Halloween, when we sent out boxes to young children in developing countries, and when we volunteered with Habitat for Humanity.

At the haunted forest we helped build, I was one of the forest guides who took the kids around the forest to show them the different scares we had arranged for them. Having an almost teenage younger sister myself, it was fun to see the kids act as if they knew what was coming and then actually get scared of my friends who were putting up the act.

At habitat for humanity, it was super fun to paint the rooms and then drill doors and hinges for the rooms. Being from India where we have labor for almost everything, it was a great experience to build parts of a house on my own.

As part of the pledging process, apart from the service hours, we are also expected to interview the active sisters and take the national test. While I loved getting to know all the sisters and talking to them, the quizzes, on the other hand, were the scariest part of the process. I was required to know all the details and score at least an 85 on each quiz.

After these quizzes, we were then prepared to take the national test. As terrified as I was of doing horribly and not being able to make it, I got a 98 on the quiz, which honestly was the best information I could have gotten.

Another aspect that was really fun and exciting was the big-little reveal. As part of the sorority, we are required to have a big sister and a family of our own and this was an exceptional experience for me. Be it getting weekly gifts and constant anonymous emails from my big, or the fact that I was the only person who had absolutely no idea of who her big was, it was amazing to unwrap my “Big Present” and finally meet my big after a month of anonymous correspondence.

I also got the opportunity to be a part of the photoshoot a few weeks ago and it was surely an experience that I would never forget!

After successfully finishing my pledging process, I can proudly state that I am glad that I decided to rush for Omega Phi Alpha and am glad I am a part of this sisterhood.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

44653
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

28127
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

952830
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

154505
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments