When I first decided to enter sorority recruitment, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I saw my sister and all of her friends wear large Comfort Colors and "throw what they know," but what I didn't see was the irreplaceable bond that they all shared. One concept in particular that I did not understand was what a "big" was. All I knew was that she was an older girl who was now called your pledge mom, and that was it. When I joined my sorority I expected to form friendships and make memories. However, I did not expect to find a big who has the biggest sense of humor, the biggest hair (seriously her curls are iconic) and, most importantly, the biggest heart.

I met her on Skit Day of the recruitment process and she was wearing a Campbell's Soup costume; needless to say, things were not the same since. We instantly began bonding over our mutual love of dry shampoo and hummus, but at the time, I can honestly say that I did not have a clue how much that curly-headed chicken noodle soup girl would change my life.

I now have a different perspective of what a "big" truly is. To some, she may be a mother-like figure; someone watching over you and showing you the ropes. It is incredibly difficult for me to explain in a short article what my big is to me. I wouldn't say that she is a mother-like figure at all and I don't think that she has shown me the ropes either. Don't get me wrong, she is always there for me without question. But, my big has taught me the ways of college through the best method possible: she lets me make my own mistakes, walk on my own two feet and learn from my experiences.

My big is not there to give me "srat" crafts or to pour her hand-me-down t-shirts onto me (although those are greatly appreciated). She is there to be my best friend. My big is there to rampage through my closet when she needs something to wear, to call me when she aces a test or to lay in bed all day and watch Netflix. I don't know if I believe in fate and to some of you this article probably sounds cheesy, but I do believe that certain people are brought into our lives to teach us things about ourselves that we did not know before and that is exactly what my big has done for me. So thank you, Rosie. Thank you for not being just my big. Thank you for giving me your irreplaceable friendship instead of a drawer of Comfort Colors. And finally, thank you for teaching me what it really means to have a "big." So here's to you mom, life wouldn't be nearly as fun without you.