"It's not for four years, it's for life."

It's the cliche we all hear when we first join a Greek organization and again throughout our time as members, yet it's a concept that's pretty hard to grasp until you've no longer been an active member for awhile. Now I know what you're thinking: how on earth do I understand what it means to be a lifetime member of a sorority, when I haven't even graduated college?

Here's how: I was a member of an organization in high school that has its roots in the Greek system and functions very much like fraternities and sororities. Just like Greek organizations in college, we had many opportunities for leadership, community service and philanthropy, and for making wonderful friendships with people from around the country and world. When members graduate, it's definitely bittersweet. Active membership usually ends with a will-down ceremony in which we accept our lifetime membership in the organization. Sound familiar?

Although college has brought me plenty of new friends and experiences that I wouldn't trade for the world, the bond I have with my fellow alumni—the ones I know, and even the ones I don't know—will never go away. For example, I always get excited during sorority recruitment when a PNM I'm talking with happens to be an alumna; it makes for a great and memorable conversation, even if she doesn't end up joining my chapter! (Although when alumnae do join my chapter, as three did this past year, it's EXTRA-exciting!) Or when our community lost a beloved staff member and mentor a few months ago, I was reminded of that special bond when so many alumni shared memories and messages of support.

There's always something special about having spent time together in the same brotherhood or sisterhood. Even though the day-to-day things like business meetings, philanthropy events and elections won't really matter down the road, you'll always cherish the memories you made with the wonderful people you met.

Something else I've noticed with quite a few of my fellow alumni is a desire to give back. Because of the organization we were part of, we gained confidence, became leaders and developed lifelong friendships. We want to be able to, in some way, provide that same experience to others. Some of us become chapter advisors, some staff conventions and leadership programs, and some even intern or work full-time for the organization! But giving back isn't limited to actually working for the organization, simply offering advice or encouragement to active members is just as important. The same goes for Greek life!

So to those of you who just graduated college and are already starting to miss Greek life, you may no longer be part of things every day, but there's always a way to stay connected to your organization. You have your younger friends, you have social media, you might even find alumni chapters. But most importantly, you have your brothers or sisters. You'll enter the "real world," and after being away from everything for awhile, you'll realize just how much of an impact the time you spent in your chapter had on you. But after that time away, it's always fun to reconnect somehow and see how much things have changed—and how much they've stayed the same. That's what it means to be a lifetime member.