“So, do y’all have any national sororities on this campus?”

This was one of the first questions that I asked my tour guide while we were walking around the campus of Mars Hill University in the Fall of 2013. She quickly responded with an energetic “Yes!” and told me all about her sorority, Delta Zeta. (Little did I know that this amazing tour guide would become my beautiful Big less than a year later, God works in funny ways, huh?) She was very quick to add that there were also several local sororities under the Greek System at MHU. After explaining to me how the local sororities operated, it appeared that I would most likely belong in a larger organization such as Delta Zeta. I loved the idea of having sisters everywhere I went and being a part of something bigger than myself and my school. I really didn’t put much thought into this conversation after it was over and it didn’t really become relevant until I moved in for my first semester of Freshman year. My roommate and I immediately became friends and Greek life came up in one of our “get to know each other better” conversations. She said she was interested in Greek life and I told her I was too. She then asked which sorority I was interested in and I immediately responded with “Delta Zeta!” She then said that she was interested in one of the local sororities and I told her that I had heard great things about the girls in that sorority as well.

I started to hang out with some of the DZ’s and they inevitably grew on me, and it also kind of helped that my best friends were all going DZ and they were all very excited about going through recruitment. When Rush Week came, I planned out all of my outfits accordingly and made sure that I was going to look perfect (or at least as perfect as I could get) and prepared myself for the week. That week I fell in love with the sisters that I had not yet met and fell deeper in love with those that I already did know. They were all so welcoming and I immediately knew that this would be my home away from home. Rush week was everything I expected and more. When Thursday came, I found myself sprinting to my mailbox looking for my Preference Night invite. I opened my mailbox and found the envelope that started my new adventure that led me into a sisterhood that became my forever family. The day after Preference Night, I repeated my same behavior as the day before. I once again, sprinted from my dorm to the mailroom to see if that beautiful bid would be in my mailbox but this time, I had my three best friends with me. We all opened our mailboxes and received our bids and in that moment I knew we were going to be a apart of something special. I knew that all of these girls would always hold a special place in my heart and that Delta Zeta would as well.

On November 20, 2014 I became a sister of the Delta Zeta National Sorority and since becoming a sister I have realized that there are so many opportunities available to me through the national organization. I served as the chapter’s treasurer for my first semester and learned so many new leadership and organizational skills. Currently, I am serving as the Risk Management Chair for the chapter and I am so excited to see where this position will take me next! However, the most amazing thing about being a part of this sisterhood is that I am able to find sisters wherever I go. I now share this special bond with girls all over the country and friends that I have known for a long time are my sisters! In my opinion, this is what makes a national sorority so special; It gives girls the opportunity to be welcomed into a place where they can feel safe and loved all while giving them opportunities that would have been very hard to get outside of the organization.

On the night of my initiation, I received the most influential person in my life as a Greek life member. My Big. I know everyone says that their Big is perfect but, mine is more than perfect. She was the first person to introduce me to Delta Zeta and getting her as my big made my Initiation Night even more special. She introduced me to this amazing organization and guided me through my first year as a sister. This past year, I have been able to add two Littles into my family and I am so thankful for their presence in my life. They're my pride and joy and I cannot wait to see how they make their mark on this organization and the campus of Mars Hill. But, besides my small family, I have been blessed with a whole group of girls who are my soul sisters. Outside of our small but mighty chapter here at MHU, we are in the presence of over 200,000 sisters across our beautiful country. Being a part of something bigger than myself was one of my goals for my college years and I am so glad I found that in Delta Zeta.