I've fought so hard to say I am not a sorority girl. The connotation behind those words brings on many negative emotions and thoughts of hazing, alcohol poisoning, and snobby college girls. I didn't want my family and friends thinking I was part of that, so I disowned my sorority girl title as much as I could.

But now I'll say this loud and proud: I am a sorority girl.

Sorority girls are not who the media says we are. We do not haze our new members. We do not spend our nights with our heads in toilets. We do not wake up in some random frat guy's bed every morning. We do not place our appearances above all else. Mommy and daddy do not pay for everything. We do not buy our friends or disown anyone who isn't Greek.

Unfortunately, the actions of a small percentage of sorority or fraternity members affects the majority. It plagues the whole with a negative stereotype because of even one person's decision. Much like saying "all Muslims are terrorists" or "all black people are thugs," just to a different degree. Yes, there are some sorority girls who drink too much and whose parents pay for everything, or sleep with every guy in town and haze the new members. It happens -- but usually, those people are stripped of their membership and no longer part of that sorority because they do not uphold the sorority's ideals.

And that right there lies my point: to be in a sorority is much more than parties, boys, and appearances.

Instead of hazing our new members, we praise them and encourage them to initiate into our chosen sorority. We spend our nights with our heads in books, not toilets. If we wake up in someone else's bed, it's usually one of our sisters' after a long night of studying, Netflix, or just because you don't want to sleep alone. Our appearance matters, but not more than our brains do. Mommy and daddy may help out, but many sorority girls work at least one job to pay their way through. And, believe it or not, many of us have friends outside of Greek life. Some of my closest friends aren't Greek, and that's okay.

Yes, sorority life is expensive and time-consuming and sometimes it'll make you want to strangle your sisters. But I wouldn't have it any other way. The countless hours of community service, the laughs, the tears, the memories, and the friendships I've made in this organization are worth more than money can buy.

So yeah, I am a sorority girl. And I'll always be one, because as that cheesy saying goes: it's not just four years, it's for life. Seriously.