At the start of this year, I didn’t really have a plan for the school year. I knew I wanted to become more involved on campus and I knew I needed to find a way to get out of my comfort zone. I decided that I would rush a sorority. Rush week was tough, and I soon learned that the social sorority life just wasn’t for me. On the third day of Panhellenic recruitment, I dropped out of rush.

My friend Alyssa had joined a service sorority the year before and she talked my friend Peyton and me into coming to their recruitment picnic. Later that week I found myself surrounded by the most amazing group of women I had ever met.

At the picnic, we played icebreaker games that helped us meet more girls in the sorority. Everyone was incredibly nice and extremely funny. I was surprised by how much I loved the sorority after just two hours hanging out with everyone. The next week was recruitment, each day we learned about something within the sorority; philanthropies, sisterhood, what each chair was in charge of, etc.. While the process was long it was worth 1000% it!

Since I’ve joined Epsilon Sigma Alpha I have met so many incredible people and I’ve had so much fun! One of my favorite memories so far of joining ESA was meeting my big! Like every other sorority, Epsilon Sigma Alpha has a big/little reveal. This means that an activated member of the sorority(big) is paired with a pledge(little) to help the pledge have a smoother transition into the sorority and have some who will be a big sister to them. The entire event, theme, and who your big is, is kept a secret until the moment you walk into the room where the bigs are. This year’s theme for reveal was Disney and each big and little had matching pairs of mickey mouse ears. I’m a huge Disney fan so this theme was perfect for me! My big decorated or ears for the movie Aristocats, which is both one of our favorite Disney movies! When I saw my big I ran and gave her a big hug! It was so exciting! I guarantee my big is better than your big.

This past weekend ESA partook in St. Jude Up ‘til Dawn. This event lasted from 11:15 PM on Saturday until 6:15 AM Sunday. I have never experienced an event that was so rewarding. As a sorority, we raised over $88,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Illinois State University raised a total over $186,000 and was the top fundraising school for Up ‘til Dawn.Through the event, I've learned so much about how incredible St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is and I am so honored that I got to fundraise and partake in this event. If it wasn’t for ESA I don’t think I would have ever been part of such an incredible event.

This past Monday I was officially initiated into Epsilon Sigma Alpha and I could not be happier to be a part of this amazing group.

I am so thankful I found my place and a group of lifelong friends. To the sisters of Epsilon Sigma Alpha, I thank you for being amazing and letting me be a part of something so incredible, you are all the greatest giraffes a girl could ask for.