When I joined a sorority, I knew very little about the bond that Greek life would provide me with. I had seen wild parties, guys in pastel shorts, and girls who stood up to bullies but talked down on each other behind their backs. It was not a bond I figured I would carry with me forever, and I never thought I would have so much to learn from people I barely new.
When I got my big sister, I had only just begun to learn the personal meaning of sisterhood within the chapter. I was still only a few weeks into the new member education process, so I wasn’t totally familiar wth how things worked. I was shy, and not willing to ask personal questions to the other sisters. My big eased me into the chapter, and I can confidently say that it is because of her that I hold an executive board position. I received many shirts and passdowns from her when she left, but it is the knowedge and confidence that she passed down to me that I find most valuable.
Two years after being initiated and getting my own big, I got a little sister of my own. She’s a lot like me in a scary amount of ways. We have many of the same interests, and she reminds me a lot of myself when I was going through the new member process. I’ve already given her some shirts, a sweater with colors that my entire family has, and many meticulously painted crafts. We hang out constantly, and we always have fun doing it. As our relationship grows and matures, I hope to pass on to her the meaning I’ve discovered and the passion I’ve deveolped for bettering the sorority, and I hope for her that she discovers a meaning of her own.
This sorority will always play an important role in my life, and I’ll always proudly wear their letters. To me, the meaning runs deeper than the fabric on my back. It means confidence, it means leadership, it means philanthropy, and it means family. My college experience would be entirely different without having joined Greek life, and my life would be emptier without the lessons and love my big gave me. I hope to give my little everything I received and more so that she may grow as a person and fully realize her potential in this world.
