It’s a very special time on Clemson’s campus—it’s Greek Week! Greek Week is a time in which we celebrate the connections and experiences that being in the Greek community has brought us. These are never the same for any . My reasons for feeling devoted to my organization are probably different from yours. Nonetheless, I love hearing the stories of how people arrive at this “wow, these people actually really do care about me” understanding. For me, it started with a bit of a life crisis.
It was the first semester of my freshman year. The novelty of my sorority and college life in general had faded. I was no longer in a lively dorm building on campus but rather in a dreary off-campus apartment that felt completely isolated from everything. I was questioning my career path and my major. I was in a slump. When I fell into this depressive state, I began questioning my role in Greek life. Because of how isolated I was already feeling, I irrationally extended these sentiments to my role in my sorority. I wasn’t popular or on the executive board—did my place there even really matter? Would people care if I left?
My anxiety worsened as the fall semester wore on. I began having panic attacks and feeling depressed. Luckily, I reached out to a girl in my pledge class one day to come have coffee with me in Starbucks. I tearfully admitted to her that I felt like I was stuck in a rut and didn’t know what I was doing with my life. She comforted me and referred me to other sisters who were going through the same thing. Two of those sisters, my Big included, happened to be studying abroad in Florence, Italy that next semester. Upon learning this, the gears in my brain began to turn.
Me (totally candidly obviously) looking at the sunset in Santorini
I began fantasizing about living in Italy in the Spring. I imagined myself strolling to class in the shadow of the Duomo. I saw myself walking along the Ponte Vecchio. I envisioned eating pizza and watching the sun set over the tuscan mountains. Eventually, I reached out to my Big to get information about the study abroad program. She enthusiastically told me all about it and encouraged me to apply while it was still open. She even offered to put my name on the roommate preferences section of the housing application. Long story short: I applied, I got in, and I went to Italy.
All four of the roommates enjoying the Florence Chocolate Festival
Of course, I didn’t only stay in Italy. We all encouraged one another to travel on the weekends to different countries. In addition to traveling around Italy, I also went to Spain, Greece, Croatia, and Germany. The whole experience traveling abroad brought me closer to these sisters than I ever could have previously anticipated. I now speak to them daily, and we even get dinner together when we start to miss each other a little too much. Had I not been in my Greek organization, I wouldn’t have had something instantly in common with them. I may not have even know who they were. Instead, I got to live and study in Italy with some of my closest friends. Moral of the story: sometimes sharing letters with someone is the first step in a much deeper and meaningful relationship.
Soaking up the Spanish sunshine in Barcelona
Feeling very Italian after a wine tasting in Tuscany