Hello…It’s me.

With recruitment coming up in a few weeks, I just wanted to stop and pause for a second to say a little something to all of you. Everyone is busy planning their outfits for each day and drumming up questions to ask PNM’s. In all that craziness, I wanted to say something to all of you.

I went into recruitment not knowing what I wanted and not knowing what would come out of it. I had read all about the negative side of sororities and Greek life in general — I’d heard about the hazing, the cattiness, and the negativity — and went into recruitment unsure of what to expect. Would I actually find a group of girls I could call my "sisters"? Would they actually be nice? Would they actually want me? I was skeptical, and I was terrified that it would be a waste of time. I was terrified that no one would want me, and that I’d be alone.

Recruitment was a blur, but I do remember one thing. I remember walking into my chapter’s Preference ceremony on the final day and knowing deep down that this was it. These girls were my going to be my new sisters and that I, for whatever reason, had been chosen to be a part of this organization. Bid night was incredible. The energy was insane. Every single member of the sorority was so excited for our new pledge class to be there, and I was met with so many more smiling, excited faces than I could count. We spent the night dancing and eating and dancing some more, and it all finally began to feel like home.

Looking back, I have no idea why I was so scared and nervous. As I prepare for recruitment one year later, I can understand now what it’s all about. It’s not about the frills and the glitter and the sorority-squatting in every photo. It’s about the sisterhood in the most simple sense of the word: finding girls who not only share similar interests, but who share similar morals. Girls who will be there to cheer you on when you ace your midterms but also girls to support you when you're heartbroken. These were the friendships I was looking for, and these were the friendships I found.

Being in a sorority and being a part of my chapter has changed my life for the better in every single way. Before I rushed, I felt alone at school in a lot of ways. Most of my family was across the country and I didn’t have a support system. Now, I do. And I wanted to say thank you.

So, to the women of my chapter, thank you. Thank you for embracing me and letting me be myself. Thank you for giving me friendships I wouldn’t have found otherwise and ones that I now cannot live without. Thank you for being a safe space, and thank you for being my support system. You all are so incredible, and I find admirable and wonderful things in every single one of you. You have all changed my life forever. You have all changed my life for good.