Before I began college, I made a vow to never join Greek life. I did not want anything to do with it. Back then, Greek life seemed like the most unauthentic lifestyle that anyone could possibly live. It was "buying your friends" and it was just another excuse to party and make poor choices.

I was so wrong. I broke my vow to myself and went Greek the fall semester of my sophomore year of college. A lot of aspects of my life helped me change my mind about what Greek life was. I remember how different I was the summer before my freshman year of school. I wanted to be different from the masses and joining Greek life would just make me another face in a sea of girls obsessed with pink. I was more focused on making something worth winning a Pulitzer Prize than being obsessed with Lily Pulitzer (I still am). I was so set on being unique and individual. That was until I found myself completely alone.

My story begins with a lake party that my school puts on for the incoming freshmen during their first week of school. As a commuter, I did not really have any friends. Naturally, this type of event became very awkward for me. I sat alone on my towel watching groups of girls walk by with their new roommates and hall mates. They seemed to fit right in. They looked like they were having a blast.

I felt more alone than I ever had before. I sat for a few more minutes until I made up my mind that I was just going to leave. Before I did, a girl who I had remembered as one of the staff from Orientation asked if I wanted to come join her and her friends in the water. I was so ecstatic that someone actually wanted to hang out with me that I immediately followed her. Her friends introduced themselves and I immediately felt comfortable around them. They talked to me as if they already knew me. We ended up hanging out for the rest of the night and they introduced me to more of their sisters. Oh wait, I forgot to tell you. These girls were in a sorority.

While I was spending time with them, they never mentioned recruitment. They never shoved recruitment down my throat. They just wanted to get to know me. It was refreshing.

A few days later, I attended a club fair that the school puts on. There, I talked to the same group of girls. I was concerned with the idea of joining a sorority. I held a part-time job, commuted from home, and had a full load of classes. I expressed my concerns to one of the girls.

She saw that I was scared and told me that it was perfectly normal to want to settle into college life for a year. She encouraged me to get my priorities in order and make a final decision closer to rush. I asked her if it was weird to wait until my sophomore year and she told me that if I wanted to wait, she would be here next year to help me through it. I was so surprised by her answer because I had expected her to force recruitment down my throat. But here she was, a sorority girl on the cusp of recruitment encouraging me to do what I felt was best for me. I promised her that I would go through recruitment next year when I was a sophomore.

My spring semester of my freshman year, I began dating a guy in a fraternity. From this, I was able to see the girls I had met more frequently and got to know them a lot better. By the end of my freshman year, I was friends with a lot of girls from this same sorority. They were there for me even though I was not their sister. They made me feel welcomed and always invited me to hang out.

My sophomore year arrived and I was ready for recruitment. I was going to fulfill my promise and I was determined to make the most out of my experience. As soon as the application process opened, I turned in my forms. I was ready to open myself up to vulnerability. I was ready for awkward socials, uncomfortable heels, and getting to know each chapter. I was ready to find what I had been wanting all along: sisterhood.

As a sophomore, my recruitment experience was a little different. I did not make a whole lot of friends because all of the other girls were already acquaintances with one another. I knew which house each Rho Gamma belonged to (and all of the other girls were jealous of me for this for some reason). I also went into recruitment biased. I could not really help this fact though because I already knew what the houses were like. I knew how they were behind the songs and smiles.

Recruitment itself was a roller coaster of excitement and nervousness. Each night, we went to the social put on by the houses. The first night everyone went to all three. The second night, you only got invited back to one or two. I learned a lot about each chapter and it was a great experience.

The last night, preference night, you got invited back by the sorority themselves. I was invited to two preference nights. At that point, recruitment had severely stressed me out and made me confuse what I needed in my life. I told myself that I would just know. That something incredible would happen and I would know without a doubt that was my home.

That moment happened. The preference night for my top pick house was held in the chapel of my school, my favorite building on campus. I was preffed by a girl who made me feel so welcomed and comfortable and we talked about such personal things that night. Their ceremony did not feel rehearsed or inauthentic. They cried real tears. They felt real love for each other. As I sat there, softly crying, I knew. This was my home.

Bid Day arrived and I sat in my seat along with a group of other girls just as anxious as I was. I held the manila envelope that contained my bid card and I wanted to tear it open as soon as possible. I was so nervous that I would not get into the house I wanted. I sat there in a ball of anxiety waiting to see what the next three years of my life held. What if they didn't want me? What if I was too old? What if it wasn't meant to be?

We all nervously chit chatted until it was time for the rho gammas to reveal their houses to us and run to their sisters. Then it was time. The moment we had all been waiting for. The director of recruitment told us that we could open our envelopes and the room erupted in a mixture of tears, screams, laughter, hugging, and glitter. When I opened mine, I saw the rose at the top of the card and nearly cried tears of joy. I found my home and they wanted me too.

That day, I ran to my new sisters. As I was enveloped by screaming girls, I found the girl who had been there since the beginning and we shamelessly shed a tear or two. The girls I was already friends with told me stories about how they dreamed I would not run their way. They genuinely wanted me. I felt so blessed to find the place where I knew I belonged from day one of my freshman year.

When a young woman decides to make herself vulnerable and make the decision to go Greek, she has the opportunity to do two things. She can change who she is for the better or change herself for the worst. It is all up to her and how she decides to handle herself. When you go into this world full of letters, fraternities, crafts, bigs/littles, and socials it is easy to lose your focus. It is easy to forget the reasons you went into this world to begin with. But your sisters are always there to guide you back. I am so thankful for the sisters who have and continue to help me through college and life.

I will always remember all that it took to get me to be the sorority woman that I am today and it all started with a kind gesture towards someone who was hurting. Now, Greek life has a new meaning to me. It is not about the letters on your chest, but it is all about the heart behind them. It's reaching out to those in need and those who are hurting. It's about changing you for the better to become the person you have always wanted to be. It's about college loyalty and supporting the school that you attend. It's supporting the other sororities and fraternities at your school.

Most importantly, it's making yourself vulnerable to making these changes and putting yourself on the line to make your future and other people's future brighter.