Joining a sorority not only gave me everlasting friendships, it made me a stronger person. I joined a sorority looking for sisterhood and my home away from home during college. However, I found much more than that, I developed skills that helped shape me into the woman I am today.
1. Leadership
Joining a sorority, I was introduced to several leadership opportunities. I was never the type of girl to stand up and become a leader, I was shy and felt more comfortable as a “follower,” or just “someone in the crowd.” However, when I received my first leadership position in my sorority, it was the beginning of a new skill for me. I loved planning events as our social coordinator; I loved sharing weekly reports to my chapter; I loved leading a small committee. I felt empowered, respected and enlightened. This was a new beginning for me and the first of several positions I would have throughout college.
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2. Communication
Joining a sorority, I gained 70-plus young women I would spend every day with. Needless to say, you develop strong communication skills. Not everyone is going to get along at all times. I was blessed with a sorority that is very diverse, which can be both positive and negative. However, you work through any situation because at the end of the day, they are your sisters, they share your values and you support one another. No issue is worth giving up on and you learn how to effectively communicate with one another because you love them.
3. Values
I’ve always had my own values and standards I set for myself to live up to. But they are just my own. Joining a sorority, we are given a purpose to live by every day to remind ourselves the standards we should uphold. Being able to share such values with “but a chosen few,” are inspiring. Our values are bigger than ourselves. Just think, we share the same values with over 100,000 collegiate women all over the world. Now that’s what I call "sisterhood."
4. Community Service
The feeling when you give back to the community is inspiring. And joining a sorority, you have several sisters that want to share that same feeling with you. Not only does each sorority have their own philanthropy event they give back to each year, they volunteer for numerous service opportunities in addition, just because. A few years ago, I was interested in skipping a spring break trip to Panama in order to attend an alternative spring break trip to NYC, working at a food pantry. But did I go alone? Nope. I had several sisters attend that trip with me because they too wanted to give back. Whether it's cleaning up trash in the community, volunteering at Relay for Life, attending other chapter philanthropy events, donating to a good cause, volunteering at a soup kitchen, working at Habitat for Humanity, etc. You know, your sisters are there to volunteer with you.
5. Sisterhood
Like I said, we have sisters all over the world. Whether you see a sister in your local chapter, or a sister at another school, you immediately have a bond like no other. It’s not like you’re meeting a stranger for the first time, you have a unique bond through a sorority that connects you as if you have known each other your whole life. And for the girls you spend every day with, they make college your home away from home. They pick you up at your weakest point and support you at your strongest. They love you unconditionally; they are there to talk at 3:00 a.m., they are available for spontaneous trips and random conversations. Your sorority sisters are your family and those friendships don’t stop after college. “It's not four years, it's for life.”
I want to share my favorite poem as a reminder of the special bonds and strength my sorority has given me.
“Laugh and I’ll laugh with you. Cry and I’ll cry too. For whatever comes to assail you is there to assail me too. Work and I’ll work with you. Fight and I’ll fight too. For whatever barrier needs breaking can be broken by me and you. Think and I’ll think with you. Dream and I’ll dream too. For few ever shared such visions as are shared by me and you. Worship and I’ll worship with you. Love and I’ll love too. For these are the things worth doing and can be done by me and you.”
