My first semester at USC was the hardest one yet. I had never felt so lonely, so tired, and so hungry for real and healthy (not dining hall) food — all at one time. College is amazing, and I am having so much fun this spring, but first semester was a huge and difficult adjustment for me. I had never been away from home longer than three weeks. Thankfully, I had my sister Sabrina and longtime friend Madison here at USC with me, and my other friend, Honor, a short train ride away.

I loved college during Welcome Week. I was meeting new people, exploring campus, and planning outfits for rush. School hadn’t started, so I could dedicate my time to getting to know my roommate and scrolling through sorority Instagram and Facebook pages, imagining myself on bid day with all of my soon-to-be sisters.

Joining a sorority was never a question in my family. My parents highly support Greek life, as both participated during college and made lifelong friends. My mom is especially close to her Chi Omega sorority sisters, and I consider her friends to be family. I have always looked up to my mom and her friends, and I dreamed of having a college experience similar to theirs.

But fall rush didn’t go so well. Honestly, I loved rush until preference night. I really enjoyed talking to girls, touring houses, and seeing slideshows. It all made me so happy, and I was starting to feel “at home” at certain sororities. But, when I saw the houses I was invited back to before preference night, I burst into tears. I didn’t cry because I hated the houses; in fact, I believe all of USC’s houses have amazing and unique qualities. I simply didn’t feel comfortable at the two I was invited back to, and I wasn’t ready to commit to houses I didn’t 100 percent love. So I dropped out of rush and decided to wait until the spring or even next year. Spring rush is informal at USC, so I wasn’t sure if houses I liked would be taking more girls.

One of the hardest parts of rush wasn’t actually rush; it was seeing the pictures on Facebook and Instagram that my friends at other schools posted after bid day with their new sorority sisters. Everyone looked so happy compared to me, and I felt ashamed that I didn’t feel as happy at college as they seemed in their pictures.

Then, one of my mom’s best friends connected me with two sisters at USC, Sarah and Brooke, who are both in ADPi. They were so nice to Sabrina and me, and we went to lunch with them several times throughout the semester. They listened to us, gave us advice, recommended clubs to join and restaurants to try. In short, we were fast friends, and they invited us to spring rush. After my first rush event, I knew ADPi was the place for me. The girls were genuinely inviting and friendly. I tried to hold back tears when the president offered me a bid. As soon as I left the café, I called my mom and cried. Honestly, I hadn’t been that happy in a long time. USC had never felt more like home.

The girls of ADPi included the spring 2016 new member class in so many activities. We hiked to Hollywood, watched movies on Friday nights, and ate together during dinners and brunches. And, most importantly, I got my big sister, who is already one of my best friends. Now that I have an amazing support system of friends in ADPi, I truly believe everything works out in the end. My mom sent me a card last fall with a quote that perfectly describes my bumpy first semester: “Sometimes your journey will take you off of your path. It’s all part of the same trip. Enjoy the view along the way. Life is full of exquisite diversions.”

Even though first semester was hard for me, I learned a lot during my journey. I met so many different and interesting people, wrote a lot, studied a lot, too, hiked all over California and explored L.A. Hopefully I’ll do the same this semester — but this time I’ll have my sisters by my side.