I have so much to be thankful for this week. But for some reason, I am especially thankful that I am a sorority woman.
If you knew me in high school, you would have never guessed I would join a sorority. I was a speech and debate kid who was so involved in journalism, that I didn’t care about how many friends I had or how I looked.
Once I started at UNT, I attended the meeting for formal recruitment and dropped out that same night. I felt as though I wouldn’t fit in or that I wasn’t pretty enough or “cookie-cutter” enough for the chapters on my campus… all because I chose to listen to the negative stereotypes out there. Long story short, I eventually found a chapter who accepted me for me.
Being a collegiate member is a lot of hard work.. from meeting your GPA requirements, doing all of your community service hours and going to the library every week for mandatory study hours. At times, I often had a hard time seeing the benefits from my membership. The whole “you pay for your friends” saying is not true at all. You can’t be best friends with 80-something girls. You can’t even like 80-something personalities. You can, however, always call a sister… whether you truly know them or not… and they’ll be there.
When I decided to come to Boston, everyone thought I would get lonely. Truth is, I already have a network of hundreds of sisters here. When you are a sorority woman, you are never alone. As an alumna, the benefits of those countless hours spent in the Delta Gamma (Gamma Nu) house are shining through this very second.
I’m saying all of this because I recently discovered I had a sister from my chapter at UNT living in Boston! We live in such a small world. I met with her for dinner to celebrate my new job. (Yes, I have a new job!) We were able to bond over how much we love this magical city, our life stories and our time as collegiate members. (We weren’t in the chapter at the same time.)
Meeting my new gal pal has definitely left me feeling like I have a big piece of home with me in Boston. I’m no longer the only Texan transplant I know. There are many people who are quick to judge fraternity or sorority members, but what they don’t realize is how much more connected we are in the long run. Whether it’s Boston or a different country, I’ll always have a sister there. How amazing is that?
It has been an incredible first week here. I didn’t plan for any of these amazing things to happen so quickly, in fact I planned for the worst. But I am happy to say that I am here to stay! Things have been coming together smoothly and I know I couldn’t have done it without the overwhelming support I’ve received from everyone. So… thank you!
