Editor’s Note: This post was written by Elizabeth MeLampy, the President of Alpha Phi and a junior in Kirkland House. This is the fourth post in a four-part series about sorority recruitment at Harvard.
Alpha Phi is my home.
The girls have become my best friends; they are kind, authentic, smart, and fun. When I want to go out on a Friday night, the first people I text are Alpha Phis. When I have a long day and just need somewhere to sit down and watch Netflix, I go to the Alpha Phi space before I go to my own room. When I look out at an audience I’m performing for, Alpha Phis usually fill an entire row. When I ran the Boston Marathon, Alpha Phis came into Boston to wait for me at the finish line. The support and companionship I’ve found in Alpha Phi are endless.
My best memories in college are from being a member of Alpha Phi. We have had some incredible philanthropy events that bring the whole chapter together and accomplish something good. In the Spring, we have our Red Dress Brunch, proceeds from which go to the Alpha Phi Foundation to support women’s heart health. We stuff heart pillows to donate to Boston Children’s Hospital to help patients recover from heart surgery. We had another event called Grilled Cheese with Alpha Phis in the Fall to support the Foundation, as well. Organizing these events has felt so worthwhile; seeing members and guests enjoying themselves and raising money for a good cause is fulfilling. The formals and mixers have been some of my best nights, too. Getting ready together, taking far too many pictures, dancing for hours, and showing our other friends and dates why we love Alpha Phi makes me so happy. Whether we are having dinner together in Boston, hanging out in our space, or going on a retreat, being with other members has made college feel fun and purposeful.
Being in Alpha Phi is something I’m proud of; wearing letters makes me feel like I am a part of something greater, something worthwhile. We are an incredible chapter, and I am so thrilled at how far we’ve come. Every single member of Alpha Phi inspires me, and I am so grateful to call each and every member my sister. We are an international organization, and I know that I will be able to find Alpha Phis anywhere I go. I’ve already met incredible women at our regional leadership conferences, and I know that I will carry Alpha Phi with me as I go through the world. I had so many doubts about going Greek. I didn’t think I needed that kind of an organization. I can now so clearly see I was wrong, and that I needed not just any sorority, but that I needed Alpha Phi. I needed to find my home.
When we finished our last round of recruitment last year, the door closed, and everyone in the room screamed and slipped off their heels. It was the most spontaneous celebration of everything we had worked for, all of the conversations had and names learned. It was joy in knowing we had met some of our incredible new members, and it was exhaustion from standing in heels for so long. It was complete camaraderie, and we were basking in the completion of what we had worked so hard for, what we wanted so much. We love recruiting, and we can’t wait to meet the incredible women going through recruitment this year. With every new member, we shape our chapter more and more, and it becomes someone else’s home, too.
We can’t wait to meet all of the incredible women going through recruitment! Check us out here.