When reflecting on these past years of my college experience, there are a series of formative moments that I can point to and say, “There—that’s where I grew. That’s where I learned not to put sweaters in the dryer. That’s where I realized that being the first one to reach out to a new friend is a good thing. That’s where I realized that there was a world outside of my dorm room.” With Marquette’s sorority recruitment just two and a half months away, I’ve come to realize that so many of these formative memories—these teachable moments—are thanks to my sorority. My experiences with my chapter have shaped me into the woman I am today.
Though the details of my freshman year recruitment process are a blur, I remember the emotions vividly. The energy at recruitment is tangible; I’ve never seen so many excited (and nervous) women in one place. Though the week was certainly tiring and highly emotional, I couldn’t be more glad that I decided to follow the recruitment process through to the end. In fact, one of my favorite memories with my now-roommate happened in the context of recruitment. She was a sophomore at the time, and I’ll never forget the conversation we had. Though it wasn’t a tear-jerking, emotional conversation, it stuck with me—maybe because she asked me, in all seriousness, what the word “judicial” meant. At the time, I never knew that she would come to be one of my closest friends in the chapter, or that we would one day have a Monday-night tradition of eating dinner together (hers is always a lot healthier than mine).
Being part of a women’s fraternity has completely changed the way I look at my college experience. As a freshman here at Marquette, I felt isolated and scared to do anything about it. I wasn’t sure what my place was on campus, and I even considered transferring. All that changed when I joined Pi Phi. I immediately found a group of friends and mentors who sought to make me feel at MU, and I began to feel more connected to the campus. Participating in Airband, a Greek lip syncing competition, allowed me to get involved with the passion for performing that I thought I would have to leave behind in high school.
As my role in my chapter has changed, I’ve also had the opportunity to learn about my own leadership skills and to push on the boundaries of what I thought possible for myself. Last year, I was part of a particularly active committee in the chapter, which was tasked with helping my good friend put on our initiation. The entire week leading up to initiation was jam-packed with activities—in the midst of planning the initiation, we were also tasked with putting on activities for Angel Week, which celebrated the Fraternity as a whole. Needless to say, there were a lot of very early mornings! Despite the craziness of that week, it still produced my favorite Pi Phi memory. At the end of the week, after initiation, I found myself sitting in an empty auditorium with two of my friends. We were exhausted to the point of slap-happiness, which made for some interesting conversation. The sense of accomplishment we all felt that night is something that I can’t thank Pi Phi enough for. Because of this chapter, I have been able to participate in leadership opportunities that wouldn’t otherwise have been available to me. I’ve also had the chance to learn about the other women in my chapter and realize what awesome, strong people they are.
If you are considering going through recruitment, I highly recommend that you take that leap. Being in a sorority has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, and while I can’t speak for other people, I am certain that there are people who agree with me.