From the first time I went with my mom to her sorority’s national convention at the age of six, I knew that one day I would joining a sorority. I patiently waited through a tumultuous four years of high school, during which I looked forward to the memories I would make with my future sorority sisters just as she had from the times I heard her talk about her days in college. Something about lifelong bonds with sorority sisters, fun social events, and campus activities and involvements drew me in from the start, which is why it came as no surprise to anyone that I only applied to colleges that had established Greek systems on their campuses.
I knew from the moment I set foot on campus that I wanted to go through sorority recruitment. But unlike most of the schools my high school friends chose to attend, recruitment at my school took place in the spring, which meant a semester of waiting and attending Panhellenic events before it was finally my turn to go through the process. When I accepted the bid to join my sorority, I knew that I had found my people and more importantly, a place that I could call home. Over the next four years and several ups and downs later, this proved to be true when I cried upon having to leave my friends and continue down a new path the day after graduation. I loved my sorority. It was my home, my sweet little sanctuary filled with all of my best friends and even more wonderful memories. Being a part of my chapter enriched my college experience in ways that words cannot even describe.
So why is a recent grad going on and on about sorority life? Well, fairly recently I had the opportunity to meet and spend time with a one of my mom’s sorority sisters from college who she still keeps in touch with. Having only met her once when I was much younger, I became excited when my mom told me that we would get to visit with her during a trip to the city I am moving to in the fall.
For four hours the three of us sat around her kitchen table catching up on the past few years of our lives and the two of them reminiscing on days long gone. It was amazing to me to see for myself exactly what I wanted to get out of my sorority in front of me. Two women, many years out of college, living their own lives in separate cities with their own husbands and children, still brought together by the bonds of the sorority.
As I listened to them reminisce on an on about their college days and the experiences that they had shared, it made me think of those precious memories that I got to share with my own best friends. Afternoon trips to ice cream shop, sleepovers, and airport and apartment reunions after breaks and extended periods of time apart. There were numerous beach days, bid days, fall and spring breaks, and so much more. What started as just breakfast turned into four hours of uplifting conversation and an in-person reminder to me about the power of a sorority and how it brings us together to share in similar values and traditions.
As a recent college graduate about to embark on the next chapter of my life, I can say with certainty that I have left college with some pretty great friends and sorority sisters. As I look back on the four years of memories that we made together, I smile because they make me as happy as my mom’s friends do when they are all together. While, yes, it is somewhat nerve-wracking to be moving to a city where I do not know a lot of people and my friends will be scattered all throughout the country, I am proud to have been an active member in my chapter and am actually somewhat excited about my future as a sorority alumnae. Thank you, mom and your friends, and to my pledge class, roommates, sorority sisters and friends, for giving me something to hold onto..
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kappakrazy14
The name is Hannah, but I go by HAbel. I'm a running addict who spends way too much time on social media and prefers ice cream to frozen yogurt, peanut butter to nutella, and raw brownie batter over fresh baked cookies. I'm a former sorority girl adjusting to life in a new city and hoping any experience I had or will have in some way relates to Greek life. Check out my blog for more: miainthedmv.blogspot.com
@_habel14
@_habel14
