I remember standing outside my first house at recruitment last year. I felt frightened and nervous about the several minutes of small talk that lay ahead. How was I supposed to find the "right house" for me if I only got to let these girls talk to me for a few minutes? Did I really want to be one of those girls screaming "bye!" when the potential new members walked out the door? All summer I questioned if I wanted to go through recruitment. After all, my sister hadn't joined a sorority and only one of my brothers was in a fraternity—was it really for me? All I kept hearing at the meeting before recruitment was, "if you maximize your options, you will find the house for you," and my eyes kept rolling.
However, my cousins had positive experiences in their sororities and had really encouraged me to go through recruitment and I figured that I'd at least make some friends during the process even if I ended up choosing to not accept a bid. However, after one day of small talk, I knew there was no going back. I was going to be a sorority girl and I was proud to say that. Soon I was anxiously waiting to find out what house I would be able to call my own. Throughout the rounds of talking to women about why they chose their house, I remembered why I was attracted to sorority life in the first place: sisterhood.
For as long as I can remember, I've always had a group of girlfriends that I considered family: my friends from grade school, whom I've known for so long I don't remember actually meeting them—they've just always been there—and my friends from high school, who were my rocks during those adolescent years. I had spent four years on a cross-country team that consisted of over 100 girls. Throughout those four years, I cried, laughed, sang, and celebrated with my teammates. They understood the pressures of balancing school, clubs, and our social lives all while trying to beat our fastest time in a three-mile race and once again capture the title of conference champions that we had held for over 15 years. This team became my family and gave me some of my best memories from high school, but this was college and high school was over and so were my days on the cross-country team. I still felt myself yearning for that sense of unity and pride that the team gave me; that is why I joined a sorority.
I found that sense of unity in Alpha Delta Pi and I could see it in the women's eyes as they talked about their philanthropy and how proud they were of their sorority. Since joining ADPi, I have found all the things I was looking for. I didn't go through recruitment so I could go to parties and have people to post pictures with on Instagram, but to find women who accepted me for me. I have met my best friends through this sorority. They have been with me through my highest of highs and lowest of lows and still love me. Being a part of a sorority is more than just wearing letters and "throwing what you know;" it's about gaining the love and support of those faces in the pictures with you. I couldn't be more proud to call myself an ADPi and that is why I will never regret going through recruitment. The joy my sisters have given me this past year will always make up for those early mornings spent getting ready for hours of small talk.
