Coming into college I knew I wanted to join a sorority. I may not have known which one or what exactly I was looking for, but I knew I wanted to become a part of something that could feel like a second home. A week into classes is when Christmas for the Panhellenic community begins. The first night of Formal Recruitment when you meet all of the sororities on campus makes you feel like a kid on Christmas Eve. You can’t sleep the night before it begins as you start imaging what the women will be like that you are about to meet. Will you connect with them instantly? Will they like you? What if no one likes me? The anticipation is strong as you patiently count down the hours until it is finally time.
In my case, the first room I went into was where I found my home. I never expected to instantly feel a connection, but there it was: Alpha Delta Pi. When I went through in Fall of 2016 Alpha Delta Pi (or ADPi for short) I had just come to campus and was looking for the charter members for their colony. The process was much different, and instead of being greeted by thirty Sisters of a sorority, I was met by a dozen or so Alumnae of Alpha Delta Pi, along with women from other chapters in the nearby area. Many other women in the room with me were not very interested and wanted to move on to the rooms where they wanted to go. After the first night of recruitment Alpha Delta Pi would not be a part of the same process moving forward. To this day I can still remember the room configuration, the women I talked to, and the facts I learned, all which made me want to go ADPi.
In order to continue pursing Alpha Delta Pi I had to drop out of the Formal Recruitment process and begin a whole separate process with ADPi. It was hard to finally go through with the decision because it was not 100% that I would be chosen to join ADPi. But, lucky for me, I was one of the women who accepted a bid. From that day forward ADPi and I grew together through the next three years at West Chester. Not every moment was rainbows and butterflies, and to be honest, there were times in the beginning where I second guessed myself. But through it all, college would not be the same without ADPi right there with me.
So, to Alpha Delta Pi, thank you for growing with me the past three years. I have loved watching you go from a colony of eighty women to a full Chapter with over 150 initiated members. Without you I would not have met my best friends and I would not be the person I am today. I am proud to wear my letters and show off the amazing work my chapter, along with the organization in a whole, does for our community, and especially our work with the Ronald McDonald House Charities. Alpha Delta Pi, you have my heart forever. It is not just four years, it is for life.
#wlfeo.
