When I first came to college I had one friend. He and I both came two hours from our small town in Chattanooga to Murfreesboro for school. I did literally everything with him, and I am so thankful for his friendship. He and my bestie from back home were the only two people I considered true friends – family even. But sometimes, that wasn't enough for me.

So, I decided to join a sorority.

At first, when you get in your sorority, you're obsessed. You're so proud to be in your sorority, and you're proud of everything they do. Those letters on your chest feel like a validation that you are likable and lovable.

For me, however, the more I saw of my sisterhood, the more I felt trapped. I couldn't find more than a few girls I felt really comfortable with, and I felt like every other sorority was off-limits.

This was probably because everyone divides us by our letters. At school and Panhellenic functions, you sit with only your sisters. You cheer on only your sisters. You compete against other sororities. It felt to me as if you were supposed to love your own sisters so much that there was no room for anyone else.

Don't get me wrong, my love for my organization was slowly growing, but I felt like I couldn't love any other organization but my own and that sucked.

This changed when I met a sweet Alpha Chi who didn't stare at me like I was the scum of the earth for the "Alpha Omicron Pi" across my chest. Instead, she exclaimed, "You're an AOⲠ? I'm an Alpha Chi! Don't you love it?"

I just smiled and said, "Yeah! It's the best!" with the same enthusiasm that she did, but the question remained in the back of my mind: "Did I really love it?" To me, I was more proud to be Greek than to just be an AOⲠ. To me, breaking the stereotypes of the Greek System was more important than those letters on my chest. To me, loving other organizations and showing them respect was more important than anything. But the conflict in my head was "How could I do both? How can I love my fellow Greek organizations as much as I do without taking away from my own?"

This girl, this silly/wacky/hilarious Alpha Chi showed me that I can be proud of my organization AND my fellow Greeks because she supports me in everything. Sometimes, I can hear her cheering my sorority on louder than my own sisters. And I do the same for her.

When our sisters are annoying us more than anything, we're still there for each other. We let the other vent and cry with no judgment and just a little bias. The most important thing she's done for me, however, is talking me down when I was almost done.

When I was frustrated and hated everything to do with my organization after recruitment, she reminded me of the things I love the most about it. She told me that I was just angry and wasn't thinking straight. She told me how proud she was of my sorority, and she wasn't even in it. She showed me that I didn't have to always be obsessed with my organization to be proud of it. She showed me that I can love other organizations while loving my own.

She taught me how to not just be a Proud AOⲠ, but a Proud Panhellenic Woman because sisterhood isn't always in your letters.

Those are nice, yes, but the reason to join a sorority is so you can join a community. You don't just gain your own organization's sisters on your bid day, you gain all the others' sisters too. You gain a community – a family.

My Panhellenic Bestie has changed my life. She has been the sister I never knew I didn't have. She has lifted me up, and made me love my sorority more than I thought was ever possible. She's been there for me through anything. She loves my organization, and I love hers. We are each other's sister, but we don't wear the same letters on our chest.