Coming on to UAB's campus, I was alone. I'm an only child and was born and raised in Birmingham, but my friends decided to go to other schools for college. I had always had a desire to serve others, so I chose UAB for Nursing and Social Work, because of its' well-known reputation for developing some of the most successful stewards of the community. So her I was, starting over again. I never had an issue with making friends, but the thought of "starting from the bottom" frightened me. One thing I had to remember, "When life gives you lemons make lemonade."
Ten days after high school graduation, I started taking classes at UAB. I quickly became accustomed to the campus and campus culture. Finding classrooms and getting around was no longer a struggle, and I moved about on campus as if I had been there forever. I began to excel in class and outside of class, and I finally felt like I was where I needed to be. As I took in all of the wonderous glory of the wide-open green campus, something dawned on me: Everything was flourishing but my social life. I really didn't know how to go about developing a social aspect of life, but I knew that I needed something more than going to class, studying, and doing it all over again the next day.
I noticed a group of women wearing blue on campus, and how they moved about on campus with ease and class. I saw them handling business, going to meetings, going to campus events, giving back to the community, and just being a productive citizen in society and on our campus. I wanted that. I just didn't know how to obtain it.
When I found out they were members of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated, I had to have more information. I began noticing flyers for social events they were having on campus, and so I went. I went to google and learned more about the history, the purpose, the mission, and initiatives taken to serve the community. I saw that they were first and the only sorority to be constitutionally bounded to the fraternity, Phi Beta Sigma. This caused them to be a true family, brother, and sister. I knew Zeta where I needed to be.
On November 14, 2016, I became a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated, and my life has been on a high since then. I met women who shared my desire to serve others. I met women who had class, morals, values and gave their all to the community. I was now one of those women handling business, going to meetings and campus events, and being a productive citizen. I now had sisters AND brothers that I could go to whenever I needed someone. I now had a social circle that extended far beyond the realms of our wide-open green campus. Life was complete.
