We both knew this day was coming. We both knew that one day you would be gone and I would be left without you, but I didn’t think it would come so soon. I never thought I would lose my Big Sister so soon. My entire Greek experience has been made by you, and never in a million years did I think that it would be this amazing. You took me under your wing and never ceased to look after me.

You were the one I texted right after I kissed my crush for the first time. You were also the one I drank wine with when that didn’t work out the way we thought it would. We coordinated outfits to more than one themed mixer, and we would always dance the night away. Forever my pong partner, and a lender of dresses for formals and date nights. We even went to the gym together (once).

While I love our sisters with all my heart, I’m left wondering how I will finish my years at college without you here. You’ve become my big sister in all but blood, and the thought of losing you is too much to handle.

You supported me after I was sexually assaulted on campus, and you helped me get through that. You were a never-ending source of love, and I can never thank you enough for that. You were there for me in the thick and thin, and I am truly grateful to call you my Big.

You showed me what being Greek is all about. You embody all that I aspire to be; a strong-willed, independent woman who is driven and goes after her goals. You are courageous, and while the choices you made for your future were hard, you did what was best for you.

I am so happy for you and so proud that you made it. You’re graduating! Soon you’ll be off in the real world, and I know that you’re going to be wildly successful, because how could you not be? You’ve tackled your college career with head-on determination, and you balanced your academics and social life so well.

I will do my best to make our lineage proud, and I will carry on our traditions in your stead. Soon, I too will have a Little, and that’s the cycle of Greek life. You can’t stay in college forever, and it’s time for you to leave and go out into the world. One day, I too will leave our sorority and this school behind, and that’s okay. This part of our lives is so much fun but it is preparing us for our careers and the real life. We can’t stay in college forever, and it’s something we just have to accept.