"Of all the blessings we count over and over, it seems to me none is greater than the consciousness of belonging to a family of thousands of sisters."

-Stella George Stern Perry

1. Our unofficial mascot is the panda

It's impossible to not love pandas! They’re fluffy, adorable, and they have no natural predators in the wild.

2. Our only color is cardinal

We don’t have a handful of flashy colors to symbolize our sisterhood. Instead, we only use cardinal: a beautiful and simple representation of us.

3. We are all wonderfully different

Just like our founders, the women of AOII are unique, expressive, and individualistic. Though we are all different, we still share the same love and values that unite us as sisters.

4. Our hand sign is a representation of love

Every time we throw what we know, we show the world about all of our Alpha Love. Our hand sign literally contains a heart, representing all the love that ties us together.

5. Our flower is the jacqueminot rose

Ask any AOII if you have trouble pronouncing this one! The flower is a beautiful, deep red rose that is both elegant and representative of our virtue.

6. We guide our lives with love, not judgement

In AOII we are taught not to lead with judgement, but to instead practice tolerance and understanding. We know the unique value of every person and love and accept people for their differences.

7. The sheaf of wheat is an important symbol to us

The sheaf of wheat helps symbolize just how different, yet united we are. We each are like a piece of wheat, individual and beautiful on our own, but even stronger and more useful when we are bound together by Alpha Omicron Pi.

8. Our founders set the highest example for all of us

We will never forget the names Stella George Stern Perry, Jessie Wallace Hughan, Helen St. Clair Mullan, and Elizabeth Heywood Wyman. These four talented and admirable young women worked hard to create something beautiful- a fraternity founded on love and friendship.

9. We value simplicity

In AOII we recognize that what really matters is our character, dignity, scholarship, and love. We value simplicity because we understand what is truly important, and that we don’t need to be flashy or showy in our sisterhood.

10. We are proud to wear our letters

We wear our letters with pride, which also means that we are extremely adamant that we are "AOII," not "AOPi." No matter what, seeing "AOPi" can make any AOII cringe.

11. Our philanthropy means so much to us

Not only does every AOII woman know a hundred facts about arthritis, but she also deeply cares about it and how it affects so many lives. We know it's the leading cause of disability in America, and we are passionate about ending the pain that so many people deal with every day because of it.

12. We cherish our ritual

Every single AOII woman around the world knows, understands, and loves our ritual, and it’s something that we can only share with each other. Our ritual is truly beautiful and representative of everything we hold dear.