It is bittersweet, knowing that you are now like one of the seniors you once looked up to when you first joined your organization yet not fully wanting to believe that this is really it. That this is your last active semester as a sister. Bittersweet, that is definitely the best way to describe it. Over the now three years that I have been an active sister, Phi Sigma Sigma has given me so much and it is my turn to say thank you.

Coming into Greek Life as a second semester freshman was the one of the best decisions I have ever made. I chose to attend a university far enough away from home where it was difficult to go home for weekends and where there was absolutely no one familiar around me. First semester freshman year was rough, and my parents tried convincing me to transfer to a school closer to home. But I was determined to wait it out until I was able to go out for recruitment.

Greek life was something I always knew I wanted, but I never expected to find what I currently have. All I wanted was a support system and to find a few friends. What I found was a place that I could call my home away from home and friendships that I know will last a lifetime. This home that I was able to find within Phi Sigma Sigma has meant the world to me and has helped me through many difficult times. When I was devastated by my grandfather’s illness and eventual passing, it was my sisters that I turned to for support, and it was my sisters who were there for me the entire time. When I wanted to do something to honor him, my sisters were more than willing to help me fundraise for a donation to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in his name, and were with me again as we participated in the Light the Night Walk in his memory. The saying ‘I wear my letters only front because my sisters have my back’ never meant more to me than it did then.

These are the moments that make me so proud to call myself a Phi Sigma Sigma, and that makes it so hard to think of leaving active sisterhood at the end of the semester. My sisters are some of the strongest people I have ever met and they will stand with one another to the end. We are a diverse group of accepting individuals who come from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives and that is what makes us great.

So, thank you to both Phi Sigma Sigma the organization and the Zeta Theta individual chapter. Thank you for showing me what greatness a diverse group of women are able to accomplish. Thank you for believing in me enough to elect me to several leadership positions, and attempt to give back to my chapter for all they have done for me. Thank you for all of the lifelong friendships. Thank you for allowing me to be a mentor and sister. Thank you for always having my back and making sure I am alright. And most of all thank you for helping me to grow into the person I have become since joining Phi Sigma Sigma, without you who knows where or who I would be.

Once. Always.