To UNO's 2016 Recruitment Counselors,

Let me preface this by saying that I may not know all of you on the Panhellenic recruitment team personally. I may not even know you all that well by the time this whirlwind of a week that we call “sorority recruitment” is over and done (it doesn’t help that I’m halfway across the world this summer). But I know of you and I know your role like the back of my hand. What it means to be a Recruitment Counselor is engraved in my heart and is as big of a part of me as my own chapter is. I’ve had the unique perspective of working with the Panhellenic recruitment team for three years now. I may have never actually been honored with the title of “Recruitment Counselor” but I like to think that I know a thing or two. As many of you on the recruitment team this year are new to the game, I wanted to share a few of my thoughts with you.

1. This is not an easy job.

I sincerely hope that you’ve figured this out by now. Yes, being a Recruitment Counselor has it’s perks like free t-shirts, a new group of friends outside of your own chapter, and the warm, fuzzy feeling you get from helping others and serving a Panhellenic purpose. It’s more than that. You’ll have the best times during the week and that’s all thanks to the empowering, intelligent, and passionate young women (who we call Potential New Members or PNMs) that join us in search of the chapter that suits them best. But there will also be tears, late night phone calls, and heartbreak. Sorority recruitment is truly an emotional journey for anyone who is completely invested in what it’s truly all about. You’ll be challenged throughout the week, but those challenges will make you stronger. They’ll shape you into a person who’s compassionate, yet not afraid to take charge.

2. Be “that” person.

Think back to your own experience going through recruitment as a PNM. If you were lucky, you had a Recruitment Counselor that truly made the whole experience for you. Someone who listened and cared. Someone who celebrated with you yet still gave you the best advice and counseled you through the toughest decisions. The best kind of Recruitment Counselor is one that is selfless. There will be eyes watching you all week to see what kind of person you are and what kind of person it takes to be a sorority woman. To many, you are the first face that they’ll associate with Greek Life and Panhellenic.

3. You’re the best!

You are here on the recruitment team because you are the best of the best. You exemplify what sorority is all about. You’ve each excelled in areas that we uphold within our organizations. Academics. Leadership. Community Service. Sisterly Support. The Panhellenic community that we have today was built because of women like you and now you’re here to give back to the entire experience of sorority by recruiting the next group of student leaders and scholars in our chapters.

4. Trust.

I cannot stress this enough. When it comes to recruitment, everything depends on trust and building positive relationships. Trust in your fellow Recruitment Counselors to guide and help you. Trust in the Recruitment Directors that they won’t steer you wrong. Trust the PNMs that you’ll be guiding through the week and, in turn, they will place their trust in you. And, most importantly, trust yourself. You have natural instincts that will tell you if and when something goes wrong or when there’s smooth sailing ahead. When the time comes for hard decisions to be made, you’ll know what to say and do.

5. Put heart in recruitment.

You are the heart of recruitment. You’ll play a part in everything that this entire beautiful experience encompasses. There’s no doubt that recruitment week can be a tiring one, but year after year and day after day I’ve seen every Recruitment Counselor arrive on campus with a smile on their face. Yes, it is hard work but it is so worth it. Being on the recruitment team is one of those experiences (much like Sorority Life) that you just can’t quite put into words. I wish I could articulate the Recruitment Counselor and do it in a way that captured all of the emotions, the satisfaction, and the pure joy of recruitment week. I'm usually not one to be at a loss for words, but I guess I’ll just have to let you experience that for yourself.

6. You’ll never want this to end.

The dynamic of the recruitment team is different each year, yet one thing remains constant and that is that no one wants recruitment week to end. Disaffiliation, as difficult as it is, gives rise to essentially the creation of your own mini-chapter with the recruitment team. It’s strange to think that, following recruitment, you’ll be going back to your own chapter meetings and some of the women that you’ve grown so close with won’t be by your side. For many Recruitment Counselors, this is their first real taste of Panhellenic. Having this sense of community and realizing that, underneath it all, our organizations share similar core values and stand for the same things. The friendships that will bloom throughout the week are the very exemplification of the strength of Panhellenic bonds. Enjoy every minute because it’ll be hard to let go.

7. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

It goes without saying that Sorority Recruitment would not be possible without you. You are such an integral part of the whole process and I know, as I’ve been there before, that being a recruitment team member or Recruitment Counselor takes a certain kind of sacrifice. You have to be a servant to others and act with selflessness. You have to give up a piece of your heart when you disaffiliate. You devote your time, energy, and your entire selves to help others find what you did not so many years before. You'll be that role model that is inspiring the fresh new faces that we'll be welcoming into our Panhellenic community this fall. Who knows? You could be inspiring the next stellar team of Recruitment Counselors that will follow in your footsteps.