If someone had told me a year ago that I was going to be in a sorority and loving it right now, I probably would have laughed. I never in a million years imagined myself being one of the peppy and outgoing girls that fit my idea of a "sorority girl." Coming into college, I never even considered doing any research about Greek life at my school. However, as my first semester progressed, excitement about rushing grew, and along with the rest of the girls living on my floor, I was convinced to sign up for recruitment. I had no idea what I was about to open myself up to.
Throughout high school and going into college, I was very shy, and I didn't try to reach my full potential. During the first semester, making a lot of friends was not something I was good at, and I sometimes felt lonely. It seemed that everyone around me had found their group, and I was the only one who hadn't. Perhaps that is why I became attracted to the idea of joining a sorority and finding my place among a whole new group of girls, and that is exactly what happened when I joined. It took me a few weeks to feel at home in my sorority, but once I had found my place, I was sure there was nowhere else I was supposed to end up. I felt like I truly belonged and that I could be myself among my new sisters who accepted me.
Not only did joining a sorority bring me an amazing environment and group of new friends and sisters, but it provided me with a wide range of opportunities that I had never even considered before. All of sudden, I realized that I could get involved and take on positions of leadership. While I may have thought it would be cool to be in leadership roles outside of my sorority, I never would have considered pursuing them until now. During just my first semester in my sorority, I put myself out there in more ways than I ever had before, doing things like running for a position on an executive committee and volunteering for all of the interesting events that we held. I truly felt that I could unapologetically be myself and see myself in roles that I've been too afraid to fill before.
Even today, it amazes me how if I had stuck to my prior belief that I did not belong in a sorority, I would have missed out on all of the incredible people, friendships, rituals, opportunities, and growth that I have experience in just the short time that I've been a member. Joining a sorority in the first place was the first step to me realizing what kind of person I'd like to be, what kind of friends I want to make, what kind of community I want to be a part of, and what kind of impact I'd like to have on others.
As a result, I truly believe that going greek was one of the best decisions I could have ever made myself. So, if you're reading this in a similar position to what I was in during my first semester of college, I'm advising you to go greek, or at least think about it. I can almost guarantee that you will find your place, and you will push yourself to limits you could have never imagined before.
