Members of Greek communities have been stereotyped for generations. As a proud sister of a social Greek society, I am anything but stereotypical. And you know what? So are just about all the other girls in my Greek community.

About a week ago, I released a survey to the female social Greek community at University of the Pacific. My survey asked the following questions:

1. Are you part of any pre-professional fraternities, academic or recreational clubs, student help organizations (e.g. Ambos, SA's, TA's/SI's, ASuop), or in any academic programs or societies (e.g. Honors, Humanities, Powell, Legal Scholars)? List them out.
2. Do you hold any scholarships at this school (athletic and academic)?
3. What range is your GPA in?
4. What stereotypes are you aware of about sorority girls?
5. Do you think sorority girls actually fit the majority (over 50%) of these stereotypes?
6. What do you want people to know about sorority girls?

Not only are we all highly involved with our sororities, but we also find time to do other things, like study. Many members of the Greek community are scholars on campus, holding spots in numerous honors and academic programs, as well as maintaining some of the highest GPA’s in the school. Because academic excellence is our main priority, we put a lot of emphasis on studying and keeping up good grades above all else. We support and help each other out if one of us is struggling. We study together and teach each other how to succeed. We stay up late together to make sure we know our class material. Our majors range from the arts to the hard sciences. The diversity per Greek house is astounding.

Greeks also hold many campus jobs, like Student Advising, Student Ambassadors, fitness center attendants, front desk helpers, Alumni relations-- the list goes on and on. We are also involved with other organizations, such as pre-professional fraternities, school sports teams, and student clubs. We have writers, singers, dancers, engineers, and gamers. Every one of us has a special quality that contributes to the wonderful heterogeneity of the Greek community. Our skills and talents help us create and bring to life beautiful projects for philanthropy, sisterhood, and individuality, all in a perfect blend to represent our community.

We are humans, too. We love talking to others, hanging out with friends, reading, going to the movies, hiking-- just about anything anyone likes! We're involved in our community, giving back and working to make it a better place for everyone. We love getting to know other people, Greek or not. There are many reasons to join a Greek society, but the main one people tell you is that it encourages you to grow as a person. Being in a sorority has taught me how to communicate with others better, and to understand my own feelings and place in my school community. It has given me so many opportunities that have helped me and my sisters grow. We build each other up and always push each other to do good and be better.

We are a family. We fight, we laugh, and we love. We are Greek, and we are proud. Here are some responses from Greek girls who would like you to know a few things about us:

“We pledge ourselves into a sisterhood because we know that the friendships and experiences gained through doing so will bring us lifelong memories that we will always be able to cherish. The reason why we always look so happy is because we genuinely love being around each other, and the support you receive is incomparable to anything else you will find.”

“While being in a sorority is a huge amount of fun, it is also about supporting each other emotionally, academically, and mentally. Being in a sorority gives me the opportunity to hang out and get to know a wider variety of girls than I may have ever socialized with outside of a sorority. It's allowed me to focus academically and grow as a leader, individual, and team player. And while I love my sisters, being in a sorority has given me the confidence to make plenty of new friends outside of my organization as well.”

“Sorority girls are just like regular students-- we just happen to be in a sorority. Many people think that if they have a super hard science major, they can't join a social Greek. This is not true because there are many girls who have very difficult classes and who are graduating early in all of the sororities on campus. And many sorority girls are very involved with on-campus jobs or organizations. Honestly, being in a sorority really helps with time management skills, leadership skills, and socialization skills.”

When I joined my sorority last year, my biological older sister was part of it, too. One thing she told me stuck with me: “What you give your sorority, you will get 1000 times back.” And she was totally right.