I hated the idea of sororities until right before I left for college. They seemed cultish to me – a group of impossibly pretty, energetic, fun girls with a questionable reputation I entirely deduced from movies. And even though my mom was in a sorority, as was nearly every other woman in my family, and they are all incredible, brilliant, amazing women, there was still a hesitation. I didn’t want to be a “sorority girl.”

And even once I joined a sorority I still continued to participate in these stereotypes, labeling my own sorority as “not like that,” the opposite of “srat.” It was my justification for joining such an organization, the way that I defended my decision against all of those (including my friends) who looked upon Greek organizations with derision and mockery, who took the interpretations they had garnered from books and movies and, yes, sometimes reality and placed every single person in a Greek organization into that "One Singular Box."

And it sounds a little bit ridiculous to defend myself over such a choice – and, yes, it was a choice. Going through recruitment and picking a house was not something I felt pressured into doing and I didn’t get sucked up into the supposed Greek culture that permeates a lot of college campuses – but I may have also just gotten lucky in that my university doesn’t feel so Greek-or-die as others may. But I have to defend myself, because I am a part of an incredible organization, an organization that has been making a difference and cultivating friendships and sponsoring young women to do great things.

We don’t just sit around and throw parties and take cheesy pictures and cheer all the time. Actually, recruitment is just as bizarre for us as it is on the other side. Very few of us find that regimented cheering, constant smiling and overenthusiastic pep are really “fun,” per se. We have strict standards to uphold, not just in terms of our social media and putting on our best face – and, no matter how much people claim to “not want to be told what to do,” having a clean social media is actually a really great mentality to have – but also in terms of our scholarship, our community and campus involvement. We have high grades and we are active in leadership roles outside of Greek Village; we accrue an unbelievable number of community service hours. We are participants in our community, in our classes, in our national organizations.

And, yeah, philanthropy actually does matter. A lot. Chi Omega nationally has been partnered with the Make-A-Wish Foundation since 2002, and since then we have raised over $17 million. My chapter alone raised $35,000 last year alone. So you know all those cute videos of the kids getting to go to Disney World or on a cruise or to Hawaii or literally anything else they want? We did that. We helped make that happen. And we aren’t the only ones – every single sorority has a cause that they are passionate about, and for which they do great work. Most girls I talked to during recruitment expressed how important the sororities' philanthropies were to them, and I know it was one of the most important things for me, as well.

Maybe I got lucky. I know that there are sororities out there who fall into the stereotypes society has constructed for us, and that’s the reason it is perpetuated. But I’m so proud to be a Chi Omega. I wear my letters with pride because I am a part of a group of some of the most driven, kind, funny, ambitious girls. I am a part of an organization that has held the likes of Harper Lee and Pat Summit. We have been politicians and actresses and coaches and writers. And some of the women who stand beside me in my chapter could be on that list of “famous Chi Omegas” one day. I have no doubt about that.

I’m a sorority girl. And no, I’m not “different” from other sorority girls. My sorority isn’t special because it isn’t like a real sorority. It’s special because of the quality of girls, because of our dedication not only to bettering ourselves but also our community and the country. I get to be a Chi Omega for the rest of my life, and I get to watch so many other women take this leap into a community and an organization that makes me want to better every single time I step foot into the house. And that’s not something I should have to defend. It’s something I get to brag about.