I can still remember my hands shaking from an overwhelming feeling of emotion while I waited to hear my name be called to receive my bid. I opened up my bid envelope and saw my name written on the invitation to be invited to join the sisterhood of Alpha Sigma Alpha. Although it was my second choice, I knew that I wanted to be in a sorority; so I stuck with it and three years later I am completely different person than that scared freshman sitting in the auditorium waiting to feel welcomed in college. As I am sitting here writing this, I am extremely overwhelmed to think that my time in my chapter is quickly approaching an end. Being a member of Alpha Sigma Alpha has been one of the greatest things that has happened to me my entire college career, and it even makes the top five greatest opportunities I was given in this life.
“Why did you join a sorority?” this is a question sorority women get more than any other question in the book. I can personally say that the reason I joined a sorority as a freshman is because I had older cousins in Sigma Kappa and Delta Gamma and I saw how much they enjoyed it while in college. I came to college alone with none of my friends from high school, and to me, I needed to find a new group of friends immediately, so I decided to rush. I desperately wanted to find out who I really was; because let’s face it, high school is a time where you will conform into anything just to be cool, and that gets old after a while. While my cousins were in college, all I ever heard were super positive comments about sororities from them. In the movies, I saw how much fun the girls had and how close knit they were; like a family.
If someone were to ask me, “What is a sorority?” this is what I would tell them: A sorority is, at first, a group of strangers, but weirdly you have things in common with them because you were chosen to be in the same chapter. You get to know these women day by day and year by year and you realize that these people were the friends you have been searching for your whole life. You have so much in common with these people, whether or not you are best friends or not. You might not be best friends with each woman and you may not even necessarily like them all that much, but if they were to call you at 2 a.m. because they knew you were awake and needed you to pick them up from a creepy dudes house, you would drop everything to make sure they were safe. It is the place where a group of women become your family and help you become the best version of yourself without you even knowing it. They change you into a woman who has so much purpose in life and help you realize why God put you on this green Earth. Four years is not a long time at all, but my sorority has already left such a huge impact on me that it will be one of the highlights of my life for the rest of my life. My passion for Greek life grows more and more each day, and all I want to do is make sure that each woman finds a place where they belong in this world.
"What is your definition of a sorority that you would give to someone?"
"Ever since I lost my parents, I never thought I would find some place to belong, let alone in a sorority. But being in a sorority, I have found laughter, happiness and a drive to continue. Sororities aren’t your stereotypical party house, a sorority is a house full of love and smiles to come home to every day.”
–Zavannah, Chi Omega
“To me, a sorority is family, late night laughs, leadership, line long friendships, and an opportunity to become the very best version of yourself.”
–Julie, Alpha Sigma Alpha Alumna
“A sorority, to me, is literally a room full of sisters. No, we may not all hangout and be best friends, but I know for a fact that I could go to any one of them and they would be there for me. A sorority, to me, is a way to get involved and a way to learn about yourself. I just joined a sorority this year because I’m a freshman, and I have grown so much as an individual already. Being in a sorority is a way to make friends and be yourself. I think the biggest thing that I just recently learned is that you get out what you put in. If you don’t put yourself out there, then you can’t expect to get anything in return. That is also a way to look at life. If you want something to happen, you can’t just sit back and wait for it.”
–Zoe, Sigma Sigma Sigma
“To me, a sorority is a place where you find your actual true and best friends. They won’t only go out with you on the weekends, but they motivate you to succeed academically, inspire self-confidence in you, hold you accountable and will do anything to make sure you’re the best version of you.”
–Bernadette, Kappa Delta
“I think, to me, a sorority means a home away from home that has a built-in support system of girls that are not just your friends, but your family. It’s a place where you can stumble up the back steps and walk gracefully out the front door.” –Claire, Kappa Kappa Gamma
