WHY I JOINED

I was a hardcore GDI and joining a sorority had never crossed my mind. I judged those preppy, Lilly Pulitzer and Vineyard Vines-wearing skinny blondes with perfectly curled hair and their fraternity boyfriends. Like most girls who join, I never thought I would. 

My freshman year of college, I was looking for a place to belong. Almost every friend I had ever made was through playing softball. When I decided not to continue my softball career in college, I was worried. I had planned on playing club softball, which wouldn’t start until the spring. So for my first semester, I was a little lost.

I signed up for formal recruitment with my freshman roommate, but unlike her, I didn’t go through with it. She later ended up moving into her sorority suite the second semester (because here at Ashland University, sororities have suites inside of dorm buildings, not houses). So, I had the dorm to myself.

I got involved in other organizations on campus. I hung out with the girls on my floor. But time went by and I still hadn’t found my place. I scrolled through Pinterest for hours, looking at groups of girls with letters, bid day themes and crafts for bigs and littles. I was jealous of my classmate’s Instagram posts with girls “throwing what they know,” participating in retreats, going to chapter dinners, and showing off their spirit jerseys. I slowly stopped judging and slowly wanted to be a part of it myself.

So I went to a Greek interest night and went through informal recruitment that winter. After drinking hot chocolate and playing Jenga with the group of girls from Theta Phi Alpha, I had found a home. I originally joined Greek life to find my place at Ashland - and for the awesome t-shirts and Instagram photos.

WHY I STAYED

Leadership

After only being in Theta Phi for a year, I have already held multiple leadership positions, including the sisterhood chair and the executive treasurer. I have gone to an out-of-state officer’s leadership conference and to an Emerging Greek Leaders Summit with the other chapters on campus. My leadership skills have gone through the roof and I have gained a new sense of confidence in myself.

Something Bigger than Myself

I am in the Epsilon class of a chapter that was established on Ashland University's campus in January 2014. We have grown from a colony to the Alpha class of 46 sisters to the Eta class with 66 in just under two years. I have connections with sisters all over the world. We all share the same values of our founders from almost 100 years ago. That concept is truly amazing.

Sisterhood

Greek life has introduced me to the most wonderful people. The second I joined, I gained a support group and I gained lifelong friendships. These are the girls I laugh with, watch Disney movies with, go on midnight runs to Taco Bell with, and have mental breakdowns with. They are the girls who inspire me and motivate me to become a better version of myself. My big and little are perfect. Having a sense of family within the sisterhood is something I am eternally grateful for. And it is all thanks to the 10 women from the University of Michigan who started this organization in 1912.

There are countless other reasons why I stayed, including our philanthropy, academics, social life, and community service.

Of course, the awesome t-shirts and Instagram photos don’t hurt either.