Legacy

That simple six-letter word is enough to make any Greek woman send out knowing glances and flood their minds with the stories about their sorority’s rich and ancient history. A girl who comes through recruitment as a legacy is seen as very special. A legacy isn’t just a relative of an alumnae of the sorority–she can be seen as the link between the bright future of the organization and all of the glories of its past.

This is what I kept in mind when I went through recruitment this past fall, and it somewhat eased my nerves as I went through the process. After all, if I was interested in the same sorority that my older sister was in–who just so happened to also be a former student of the same university that I was attending–then I had to have a good chance of being accepted. I was legacy, so that must mean that I was special in some way.

Luckily for me, I did end up in the same sorority as her. Some of the older girls were telling me that they heard so many stories about how my older sister contributed to the chapter, how many friends she made, and how she was admired by the girls.

At first, I was extremely proud to have the word “legacy” tauted on my chest like a badge of honor–scratch that, I still am very proud to be known as a legacy. However, after the novelty of it faded away some, I started to wonder where my future contributions would lay.

As happy as I was to be known as a legacy, I initially had an irrational fear that I wouldn’t be able to live up to the standards and accomplishments that my older sister made, or be able to contribute like she had. I was afraid to be lost in her shadows with nothing other than my name to stand out.

And yet, as frightening as those thoughts were, I used that as a means to motivate myself to become better. Although I will happily acknowledge the fact that my older sister had made a big impact during her time in our sorority, I’ve planned not to let that stop me from leaving my own footprints.

I think that in any case where one has an older sibling, cousin, or other relative where they’ve already accomplished something in the field one would like to pursue, it’s important to remember that those contributions do not detract from any achievements that are made afterward. If anything, those past stories and tales are reminders that there is still countless amounts of opportunities to find new marks to leave in the future.

Today, I think of the word “legacy” and smile. I’ve since assured myself that legacy is what I am, but it is also what I intend to leave when I’m gone.