During my first two years of college, I had decided I was simply not fit for Greek Life.

I was dressing in neutral colors of black or grey. I strayed far, far away from the stereotypical styles of the sorority girl. My outfits consisted of sneakers and skinny jeans, rather than oversized monogramed T-Shirts paired with the staple Chacos and Norts of every color that won't even be seen underneath said T-shirt. Rather than the pin-straight hair flowing smooth down my back to my rear end, I have a mess of curly hair puffed around my face. Rather than crafting and mimicking various Lilly Pulitzer prints on any canvas or surface I can get my hands on, I spend my days where I feel an inkling of creativity reading books and writing articles.

I had such a skewed perception of what a sorority girl was, that I just did like everyone else, and only thought of the stereotypes. Easily influenced by these, I wrote myself off of ever being like them, or ever even possibly joining Greek life. I wasn't girly enough, I didn't love to craft, I hated name games and hanging out with girls for too long...How would I manage? Why would I even consider it?

But finally, out of the midst of my stereotyping, I decided I owed it not only to me, but the sororities themselves. They couldn't have been around for hundreds of years without more culture and reason behind them. Plus, who was I to judge and label these girls without actually knowing them? It was the same as labeling people who play sports as stuck up jocks, and people who enjoy reading as lame and boring.

Stereotypes, like most generalizations, are usually not true. There's no depth to them.

So, I signed up for recruitment. Even in the middle of recruitment, the feelings of not belonging were returning. I was the girl in Vans and a dress instead of booties and a vest. But as we went through each night, I started to listen to the girls. I observed their diversities. I reveled in their differences. Not only was each girl different from one another, but they cared about me. They cared to know about me, and get to know who I was as a person, an individual.

Then I learned about Greek life as a whole. I saw the way that they respected their letters and the culture of the sorority. Not the Lilly and not the clothes, but what the sorority was founded on and what it represented. So I gave it a chance, regardless of how I dressed or what I liked to do in my spare time.

And after joining, I have been embraced and loved by so many. I am also learning to embrace and love more than just being a sorority girl. I am learning that being a part of Greek life is about being a part of something bigger. I represent philanthropy, I am an advocate for kindness and culture. I respect the culture, the motto, the creed, and I plan to live by it.

You could say that, on the outside, I'm not very Srat, but that doesn't really matter.