Ugh. Recruitment. Those three long, tiring days are finally over. And we celebrated Bid Day appropriately. We took a lot of pictures, ate a lot of food and made a lot of friends who you can now call your sisters.

With all the excitement of Bid Day going on, we didn't have a chance to tell you how excited we are that you're finally a part of the Pi Beta Phi - IL Theta family.

First of all, welcome! As I head into my junior year I can't believe how fast my time at Bradley and Pi Phi has gone. My advice to you - don't take it for granted. Become friends with people in your pledge class. Become friends with upperclassmen. There are a lot of exciting events throughout your Bradley/Pi Phi years and you'll want to do them with your sisters/best friends. You share a special bond with these girls that you will cherish forever.

Secondly, we are all here for you. We have been in your shoes. I know it can be intimidating to speak to girls who are older than you, recruited you or who actually know what's going on (I still don't know what's going on). But we as older Pi Phis want you to be comfortable and have a blast. We are here if you have questions. We are here if you need someone to talk to. We are here to give you advice. We are here to drive you to McDonalds. We are here. For anything. We are your home away from home. We are your family that's not really your family.

We want you to know we hand picked you. While you were shaking and nervous during recruitment, we were too. And we were also falling in love with you (not kidding). We would ask you basic questions, you would answer and in our heads we were thinking "Okay this girl is totally a Pi Phi, she rocks!" We saw potential in you. We saw a woman that would grow in Pi Phi. Whether you hold an exec position down the road, step up as a leader in the Bradley community, help your sisters out or are just a really great person/friend, we saw that in you. And that's why you're here today.

We want you to know that you can be whoever you want to be! We are all unique and have different interest. People think of sororities as a cult. I guess when people see 70 Pi Phis in one group, it's kind of hard not to think that. But we're not a cult. We don't have the same hair color. We don't dress exactly the same (except for recruitment). And we don't have the same majors. Don't be afraid to shine. In fact, I'm challenging you. With 100 sisters behind you, you can do anything you set your mind to. We can't wait to see all the wonderful things you accomplish in your four years here.

We're so glad you are the new faces of Pi Beta Phi. We couldn't be more proud of the 2020 pledge class. Welcome home angels. PPL.