When I first joined Zeta Tau Alpha, I thought my experience of it would be just like my sisters'. All the girls that would become my closest friends would be from Baton Rouge or cities close to the area. And when we weren't in school, like over holidays or summer, we would visit each other all the time. But, that was not the case at all.

My closest friends turned out to be from all over the country. Two of them being from Texas near Houston. But, the others were states away. Literally. One from Duxbury, Massachusetts, close to Boston. And the others being from two different areas of Maryland.

Who would of thought? Definitely, not me.

But, it was not that easy making friends in my sorority, at first. In Zeta, there is a such a variety of where the girls come from. I was always used to having friends that went to school with me and were from Baton Rouge.

Down the row at LSU, ZTA has the one of the biggest varieties of the different states the girls are from. Texas has definitely brought in the most recruits.

I will be honest, at first I hated that. I wanted all my friends to be from where I was born and grew up in. It gave me major anxiety to have all these close friends from states I had never visited that were many hours away. I, of course, compared myself to my older sisters because all their friends were either from Baton Rouge, my hometown, or cities close enough to drive to.

But, after getting over the fact that my best friends would not be my neighbors exactly, I realized there are a lot of perks to it as well.

Because my friends were not from Baton Rouge, I got to be their guide to Louisiana's culture and traditions. I got to show them around my city and why I loved to live here.

Not only did I get to share my city, I got to learn a lot about where they came from and what their traditions were. Since three of them were from the north, I got to hear a lot of different things they do that I have never done or tried.

Not only was hearing about their culture so interesting, but also getting to share in all of the fun traditions Louisiana has to offer was an absolute treat!

I had been going to events like Mardi Gras and LSU football games my whole life so I was used to the fun and lively atmosphere. But, seeing how much my out-of-state friends appreciated those things, it humbled me. It gave my pride in my city and school and made attending those events even better.

It made me appreciate where I come from more, made me thankful to be able to go to LSU and waking up in the great city of Baton Rouge every day.

Also, I will admit, it was pretty cool introducing my best friends to other people and the first thing I say was "Oh, she's from the north!" or "She's not from here!"

Not only did their experiences and reactions to my state make my appreciation increase, but I know that I will always have an open home to stay at in their hometowns. It is cool to think that I can go visit one of my friends in a state I have never been to.

I do not think I would of met these girls if it was not for my sorority. I will be forever thankful for my organization for putting those girls in my life and letting me have a chance to learn and experience different things than my own.

I also am excited to continue to meet girls from different states other than my friends — one of the best perks of going to a big college. You meet different people from different areas and learn things you have never heard of. And besides me being jealous of my sisters' college experiences, they should be jealous of mine!