Sorority Recruitment is just around the corner, which in the eyes of the thousands of Panhellenic members is pretty much equivalent to the rush before the Christmas holiday. I remember being a freshman and feeling extremely nervous yet so excited to finally become a member of Greek life. In high school, I was unsure of whether or not I wanted to become a part of something that my family didn’t know much about. I entered rush knowing basically nothing, which overall worked out in my favor. I had a clean slate and was ready to take advantage of my candidness.

After going to a few houses, I started to think that maybe everybody was kind of the same. Everyone was nice, yeah, but nobody had said or did anything that I really related to, until I walked into Delta Gamma. Immediately upon walking in I felt at home. One of the girls started talking to me with the ease of knowing each other for years. The conversation was smooth and had me smiling from the time I walked in to the time I had to leave. I could not wait to return again the next day. I hadn’t felt this way about another house so far, and I was happy to feel like I was finally connecting with these girls. Each day that I returned to Delta Gamma I started to realize how many different kinds of personalities there were in this one house. I met people from all different places who were each so unique in their own exceptional way. What really drew me to them was the “it” factor that I noticed in each of them. They were just real, down to earth, cool girls who knew what they wanted in life and had a way about them that I wanted to be a part of.

Before I knew it, it was Bid Day. Waking up on Bid Day is kind of like waking up on your birthday. You know what you want but you’re not totally positive that you’ll get it. When I opened my bid card and it read Delta Gamma I was filled with excitement. Another girl in my Rho Gam group, whom is now one of my best friends, had gotten a bid to Delta Gamma as well and we ran to the fountain to meet our sisters together. Since that day, my life has been changed for the better.

They say that joining a sorority helps you to become the best version of yourself, and Delta Gamma has surpassed my expectations when it comes to that ideal. Joining a sorority is way more than people think. From day one, DG has made me more comfortable in my own skin.

Since joining DG I’ve never felt lonely. As cliché as it sounds it’s true. On any normal weekday you can walk into the kitchen, eat a great meal, and be surrounded by girls who actually want to hear about your day. You don’t like to study alone? That’s fine. At any given time there’s guaranteed to be a group of DG’s at the library who will make sure you always have a seat with them. Celebrating birthdays and Florida State Football games will be some of the best days of your life. Getting ready with your sisters is great, and having an extra couple closets isn’t all that bad either.

Delta Gamma’s take part in philanthropies that hit close to home. In the fall we put on one of the most exciting events in Greek life called, Anchorsplash. DG’s philanthropy is Service for Sight, which benefits the visually impaired. Anchorsplash is made up of multiple different teams who make up dances in and out of the water in which all of the proceeds raised go to service for sight. In the spring, we put on Delta Gamma Desserts; where girls get together to bake all kinds of sweets for the entire school. “Doing good” is a DG motto, and we couldn’t have more fun doing so while help others.

It says a lot about a person if they can stick with you during your best and worst times. College is the time that you change the most in your life; who you surround yourself with is particularly important. DG has been there for me since the beginning of my college experience. Now that I’m coming onto my junior year, I’ve started to realize that it just keeps getting better and better. From Bid Day, to being on the other side of recruitment, to living with my sisters, I have grown closer to each and everyone of them. If it weren’t for DG, I probably wouldn’t be the same person I am today. Happiness is an understatement for me, and I can’t wait to share that with all of the new members this year.