If you would have asked me as a freshman if I would ever even consider rushing a sorority, I would have laughed in your face and then said something negative about the entirety entity that is Greek Life. I was guilty of saying things like "being in a sorority is just buying friends" and "all sororities are these exclusive little clubs that you have to be good enough for." Every fiber of my being was against every little bit of Greek Life. Until I found Gamma Sigma Sigma.

Freshman year was a difficult and lonely time for me (see "Learning To Be Alone"). I had no idea if I could make it at JMU. I thought that I would never find people that I could really be myself around. Especially not a sorority.

Then I met some friends who introduced me to Gamma Sigma Sigma, JMU's service sorority. While the word "sorority" made me cringe, I listened to what my friends had to say about the organization. It is a sorority that focuses on community service. One that anyone who wants to can join. Where anyone is accepted in.

I had no idea that a sorority like this existed. I thought that they all were exclusive. But by tearing down this false image of sororities in my head, I slowly started to let go of all the negative energy I had towards Greek Life in general.

Are there some sororities or fraternities that use their chapter as an excuse to have an exclusive party club? I'm sure there are. But it was wrong of me to assume this about every organization with greek letters.

I thought that by joining an organization with greek letters that I would lose my sense of self. Before, I thought that being a sister would make me conform. And if there is one thing I don't want to be, it's every else. I've spent my whole life fighting to be comfortable just being me and i wasn't about to compromise that just to have some friends.

But my sorority has given me the opportunity to bond with other JMU students who really love community service. Sororities really are amazing organizations when it comes to forming strong sisterhood. Especially in such an open and diverse organization, I have the chance to meet so many different people with such different mindsets and personalities. I haven't had to conform to anything. In fact, it's been quite the opposite. I've found a group that lets me celebrate being different all the while being brought together by a positive common purpose.

Sure, I'm not in a "social" sorority, but my mind has certainly changed about all kinds of greek organizations.

I'm grateful for the people who helped me to find such a supportive group of amazing students. I'm grateful for being able to be more open minded. I'm happy that I was able to look past these negative, and false, perceptions and that I took the chance on something I thought I would hate.

I went from bitter and angry at something I didn't even understand to a proud sister of Gamma Sigma Sigma.

Who would have ever guessed it?