I first pledged to Alpha Phi Omega (ΑΦΩ) in the Spring of 2015, during the second semester of my freshman year of college. Looking back now as a junior who is rapidly approaching her senior year (which is INSANELY scary to even think about), I can easily say that pledging is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I’ve made countless new friends, have given back to the community in ways I never expected I would, and overall I’ve made memories that’ll last me a lifetime!

But one of the best things about the process of pledging was that I got a big, one who I am super close with. From the first day I met her at big-little speed dating, I knew she was the one I wanted as my big! The day of big-little reveal is still one of the most precious moments I’ve ever had in my college experience, because seeing her standing in front of me was one of the best feelings of all. Even though my big, Mary, has since graduated, she and I still keep in contact regularly and we love to go out on brunch dates together! Call us lame, but we truly are basically the same person. I’m blessed to have such a wonderful connection with my big, because I know a lot of people out there who aren’t able to say the same. But the bond between a big and little is one that should be nurtured from the start, and one that should grow and grow with lots of love and positive vibes!

Now, I’ve loved being a little so much that I actually waited two years before I even really thought about becoming a big myself. At first, I was so content with being a little that I wasn’t ready to take on the role of being a big just yet. But this spring semester that changed, and I was finally ready to expand my wonderful family tree.

Okay, so I was a little nervous. I have such a close relationship with my own big that I wanted to replicate that same bond with whoever I got as a little. But what if that didn’t happen? I’ve heard many stories of people who are paired as big and little and they just don’t click, no matter how hard they try (or, because they don’t even try at all). I was pumped to be a super fun-loving and sunshiny big, but I know everyone has a different personality, so I was slightly worried that I’d be paired with someone who might not have had the same level of enthusiasm about that big-little bond I love so much.

But at big-little speed dating, I got to sit and chat with all the pledges, and I was relieved quite a bit over my initial fear because they all seemed so nice and equally as eager to receive a big as I was to be getting a little! Yet, there was one pledge who really stood out to me, because she had such a bright, bubbly personality and reminded me of a ray of sunshine.

Her name is Molly.

After speaking with all the littles, it was hard to narrow down my list to a Top-Five (bigs choose their five favorites, and littles do the same). But I was hoping that Molly liked me just as much as I liked her!

The next day, I found out I got Molly as my little, and I was over the moon! It took everything in me to keep quiet and not spill the beans to her right away! So, I spent the following two weeks leading up to our big-little reveal making crafts to show her just how excited I was to be her big!

When Molly found out I was her big this past Monday, many many hugs ensued! I’m so happy that I waited two years to finally become a big because if I didn’t wait that long, I would never have gotten Molly as my perfect little. And my fear of not having that “big-little bond” quickly dissipated because I realized what you put in is what you get out—so if you put that amount of love into being a big in the first place, odds are that same level of love is going to be returned to you from your little!

At big-little reveal and even afterwards, quite a few people came up to me and told me we’re the cutest, most perfect big-little pair! And no matter how happy hearing this makes me, I know the relationship I'm now fostering with my little is not a show— it's not just for social media, not founded upon the basis of how many cute pics we take together, how many likes we receive on our posts, or how many people in our chapter tell us that we’re big/little #goals. While of course it’s lovely to hear and think about these things, I like to think that this bond we now share is worth so much more than that.

I’m a firm believer that the bond between a big and little is supposed to be something cherished, something that grows over time with lots of love. After being a little, I didn’t think it could get any better than it already was. My big was (and still is) always there to shower me with nothing but love, laughter and pure joy. But then I became a big, and I realize that now it’s the best it can possibly be! Now, I get to shower my little with love the same way my biggie did for me. Yes, the second I found out who my little was, I knew I already loved her. And some people who have never pledged like to judge that the instant-love between a big and little is “forced.” But I’m here to tell you that if you think like that, you’re wrong. I’m proud of the immediate love I had for my little, and I’m even prouder of the amazing bond we already share!

Having a little is an honor, and what a big and little share is something that lasts beyond just four years of college. It is a friendship that lasts a lifetime, and I’m so blessed that both my big and my little are the people I get to share this lifelong bond with.