I have been surrounded by Greek culture my entire life, and my mom’s sorority sisters are like aunts to me. Their wisdom and wit are a huge part of my childhood. When I was about eight or nine years old, I remember learning the Greek alphabet (which really helped during my New Member Period). Every single woman I know who is a part of Greek life is strong, independent, motivated and caring. I knew I wanted to grow up to be like them.

I admire my mother and her sisters immensely, but when I got to college, I knew that if I was going to rush, it couldn’t be for them. I did it for me, and for sorority women around the world. I went Greek because people are so quick to bash Greek life, tearing thousands of women down by categorizing them as simply “a sorority girl”. But what does that phrase really mean? Anyone who does their research about what being in a sorority signifies will know that being a sister means much more than loving the color pink. Greek organizations (specifically sororities) are founded on sisterhood and philanthropy. For most sororities, in order to remain a member, a certain number of community service hours must be completed. My parents raised me with the ideal that there is always someone who needs our help, and it is our responsibility to do our part to provide that help. I did not want to lose out on an opportunity to make the world a better place.

Another reason I chose to participate in recruitment this spring is because I felt that a part of me was missing. I wasn’t sure what that part was, because I am an active member of my choir, I participate in Hillel, and I have good friends. One thing I knew is that I had to see for myself what being Greek was like. I walked into the first recruitment event for Delta Phi Epsilon and let me tell you, I was absolutely terrified. I’m a total social butterfly, and even this was a lot for me. I couldn’t remember the last time I had seen this many girls in one room. Me being me, I went straight for the food, sure I could awkwardly try to start a conversation there. As soon as I stepped into line, the girl next to me and I reached for the same piece of cheese. This led to a conversation about how we liked to eat our cheese, which led to us talking about cats… before I could even blink, she was bringing me around and introducing her to all of her friends. I finally felt like I belonged somewhere. The camaraderie, banter and love that I witnessed that day made me realize what I had been missing – so I kept going back to events. With every event I attended, I fell in love with DPhiE more and more. The girls I met (who would later become my sisters) were witty, inspiring, smart, and silly— exactly the kind of group I had seen myself being a part of. At the end of the week I received my bid, and that was probably the happiest day of my spring semester so far.

Since that day in January, I have grown so much as a person. I have learned what it means to be a sister of Delta Phi Epsilon. Being a part of this wonderful organization has brought me out of my (already mostly nonexistent) shell, and given me the opportunity to give back to my community in more ways than I ever thought would be possible. I have made friends that will last a lifetime, become part of a family, and reaffirmed my belief that being true to yourself never goes out of style.