I recently pledged my sorority Alpha Theta Beta. My new member education process was a 5-week process and in those 5 weeks I Iearned many valuable lessons. Here are a few of them!

Teamwork- I learned how vital teamwork is to success. If you are part of a team, there is no way to succeed individually. You all rise together, you all fall together. Teamwork is not only about putting in your share of the work, but it is about helping your teammates put in their share. It is about working together, not working alone. Teamwork helps you to bond with your peers. And if you want to enjoy the work you're doing, you need to enjoy being with the people you're working with.

Time management- Time management is such an important skill to have and I gained that skill through pledging. I was able to make time for all of my priorities without brushing any off as if they weren't as important to me. During my pledging process, I learned to balance school work, friends, and all of my sorority events. I made time for everything and I cut the procrastination out of my life. I quickly learned how to complete tasks efficiently without half-assing them.

Forming bonds- My pledging process helped me to see just how quickly you can form bonds with people. My pledge sisters went from being a bunch of strangers to being some of my favorite people in just 5 weeks. I never realized how easy it was to make genuine bonds with people until I pledged. I know my pledge sisters have my back no matter what. I know that they will always be my shoulder to cry on and they know that I'm theirs. This process helped me to learn that people will love and accept you for just being you.

Understanding- This process helped me to be a more compassionate person. I learned to be more understanding of others and what they are going through in life. I learned that not everyone is in the same boat as me. People have different schedules and different struggles. This process helped me to recognize that and understand that.

Prioritizing- This process taught me 2 things about priorities. The first is that some things just don't rank as high as a priority as others. For example, Netflix is not as much of a priority as school is. The second is that this process taught me that you could have multiple priorities. You can't throw one priority away for the other. I never ranked my sorority higher of a priority than my school work nor did I deem my sorority any less important to me than my school work. I learned that you can equally care about everything your involved in. Having multiple main priorities is not a bad thing at all!

How much I can accomplish- If this process taught me one thing, it taught me that I can accomplish so much despite my doubts. Every time I doubted myself, I decided to pull through and push even harder to reach my goals. With that mentality, I was able to achieve more than I would have ever thought possible. This process taught me that while something may seem impossible, it really isn't. The obstacles in life are meant for you to overcome and rise above, not to quit and walk away from. I learned that if I push myself hard enough, I can accomplish anything I set my mind to.

I'm so grateful for having learned these lessons. I feel as though the Alpha Theta Beta new member education process has made a better and stronger person. And that is one of the many reasons why I am so lucky to be a sister of Alpha Theta Beta.