Too often, sorority women are stereotyped as ditzy girls whose only passions in life are binge drinking and spirit jerseys. However, if you have the privilege of sorority membership, you know that you are surrounded by some of the most intelligent and ambitious college women out there. I asked women from different chapters on campus what their career goals or ambitions are and how their chapter has helped them towards their goals. Here are their responses:
***Note: To emphasize that we are all one Panhellenic community, I have not included real names or chapters in the responses. Instead, I asked them to choose a successful woman that they admire (real or fictional) as their alias.
Jane Addams: “I want to be a teacher, so I can inspire people and encourage them to do their best. You really become who you surround yourself with, and my sorority has surrounded me with supportive, educated and driven women.”
Suzanne Collins: “I want to work with people as a guidance counselor, school psychologist or speech pathologist. Being in my sorority, it’s become easier for me to open myself up to people and say what’s on my mind.”
Hillary Clinton: “I want to be a manufacturing or product design engineer; I love the designing process. My sorority has made me more confident and more of a leader. Even going through formal recruitment really helped me with my interviewing skills.”
Melinda Gates: “I want to become a pediatric physical therapist. I love working with children and helping people. My sorority has given me a support system of people I can go to whenever I am unsure of myself and they give me the confidence I need.”
Mia Hamm: “I want to research game theory (sports games, not video games). I am passionate about math and sports. My sorority has kept me accountable with my academics and given me an opportunity to practice my skills as an officer in my chapter.”
Lucille Ball: “I would like to become an art director in an advertising agency. My sorority has challenged me to design marketing materials for my chapter and learn how to present myself professionally.”
Florence Nightingale: “I want to be a nurse; I’m thinking geriatrics. My chapter has given me a leadership position and helped me get organized.”
Jane Goodall: “I want to educate people on sustainable living and the impact of climate change. I want to do that because I feel the need to protect the natural environment. My sorority has given me both academic and personal support, and now I know that even though something is difficult to attain, it can still happen.”
Olivia Benson: “After graduation, I intend to live abroad and help build communities in third world countries. My sorority has helped me because I have gotten to know people with similar interests, as well as talk to people that are different from myself.”
Amy Poehler: “I want to be an elementary school teacher for the fourth grade. My sorority has made me more confident and I’ve learned how to take charge.”
Margaret Thatcher: “My dream is to be Secretary of State, but before that, I want to be an international human rights lawyer and work for the United Nations. I want to advocate women's rights, especially young girls’ right to an education. Being in a sorority has given me the opportunity to encourage my peers to be the independent, powerful women we all are.”
Julianne Hough: “I want to be a neonatal intensive care nurse. My sorority has taught me to be a leader.”
Sheryl Sandberg: “I want to be a clinical psychologist and focus on suicide prevention. My sorority has given me a place to practice my leadership skills and be inspired by my sisters who are doing so much with their lives.”
Mindy Kaling: “I want to do something in marketing/customer relations. My sorority has helped me by connecting me with alumnae in the field I want to pursue, and by giving me the skills to market myself well.”
We are not what the media portrays us to be. We are smart, creative, ambitious women who go after our goals and encourage our fellow sisters to do the same.
