This May, I’ll don a black cap and gown, walk across the stage on Chryst Field and finally receive my diploma from Millersville (well, actually, I’ll get it a few weeks later after I finish up some last minute credits, but that’s another story). It’s been a long four years, but let me get a little cliché on you here and say, it has gone by so fast.
Me and my pledge class!
Let me throw in another quick cliché—college is the best four (or more!) years of your life. How you spend those four years and make sure they truly are the best is up to you. Some people work hard, some people party, some get involved on campus… and some do it all! You can find some of those people in Greek life. I certainly did when I joined Delta Zeta my freshman year, which has shaped my college life for the better and has set me up nicely for my post-grad years.
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Initially, I had absolutely no intention of joining a sorority. I commuted my first semester at Millersville, and the summer before college started, I was pretty down about it. It seemed like the kids moving in the dorms were given such an advantage; they were being dropped right into an instant group of friends. My mom suggested that I join a sorority, but I brushed her off. I had only ever experienced Greek life through the media, and that just wasn’t something I wanted to be apart of.
Flash forward to Orientation Week. I made some quick friends in my and we stuck together. Our OL happened to be in Delta Zeta and recommended we look at Greek life if we wanted to get involved on campus. At this point, my memory of Meet the Greeks (the open house that kicked off recruitment) is fading, but I do remember walking around the old MPR, meeting girls and thinking, “This is what I want to do.”
My family tree!
At MU, you have to have 12 credits in order to be eligible to join Greek life. Even so, many of the girls I met at Meet the Greeks kept in touch over the rest of the semester and winter break. I came back in the spring, moved into the dorms and anxiously awaited formal recruitment… I even dragged my roommate along. I was looking forward to it so much! I always had my eye on Delta Zeta, but cheerfully checked out each organization at recruitment. I even attended some of the other sororities’ informal events, but eventually chose Delta Zeta. Thankfully they chose me (and four of my closest friends from first semester) too, and that’s when my real college experience began.
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Joining Delta Zeta has allowed me to experience so much. I’ve been able to network; I’ve made so many amazing friends and met so many people. Not only am I super close with my own sisters, I’ve also found close friends in other sororities and fraternities that I probably wouldn’t have met otherwise. I have friends inDelta Zeta all over the country! Last summer I was lucky enough to attend a leadership conference for Delta Zetas at Miami University of Ohio (where we were founded!) and forged bonds with sisters from schools everywhere—I even have plans to (hopefully) visit one in New Orleans this summer!
Me and my sister Becky at our national headquarters in Miami, OH.
There’s a lot more to a sorority than the relationships. Sororities involve ritual, philanthropy work, socializing and more, so everyone does their part! Most sisters hold chair positions and work on publicity, sisterhood, fundraising, philanthropy and more. Over the years, I’ve held a ton of positions, including two executive board positions; being in Delta Zeta has helped me gain leadership experience and valuable skills. I’ve also gotten involved with All Greek Council and planned Greek Week and our first ever All Greek Council New Member Orientation. Being in Greek life has given me plenty of experience and skills to list on my resume!
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Aside from the skills I’ve gained, I’ve also put a lot of time into community service and philanthropy. Each sorority has a cause that they raise money for and support. In Delta Zeta, our philanthropy is the speech and hearing impaired. We support the Starkey Hearing Foundation, the House Ear Institute, Gallaudet University and thePainted Turtle Camp. My favorite activity is making Build-A-Bears with little hearing aid attachments for the Starkey Hearing Foundation. They give them to little kids when they’re getting their hearing aids to help comfort them. Delta Zeta’s philanthropy is definitely something that drew me to them. The speech and hearing impaired isn’t a cause that people support often, so I love that we can make a big difference. And Delta Zeta really does make a difference! Over the years, Delta Zeta chapters all over the country have donated enough money to help Gallaudet University (a bilingual university where they use both English and American Sign Language) build the Delta Zeta Dance Floor where their dancers learn to dance through the vibrations in the floor.
Some of our chapter on a sisterhood trip to to Philadelpia.
My favorite quote about Greek life is, “From the outside looking in, you can never understand it. From the inside looking out, you can never explain it.” It’s so true. I could go on for 10,000 more words and I still wouldn’t be able to describe everything that being in Delta Zeta is about. There are pros and cons, ups and downs, but I can say without hesitation that joining Delta Zeta was the best decision I have made in my short 21 years. I love everything about Delta Zeta: our colors (pink and green), our mascot (the turtle!), our flower (the Killarney rose) our beautiful badge, our inspiring creed, our sacred ritual… everything. Thanks to the experiences I’ve had, lessons I’ve learned and skills I’ve gained through Delta Zeta, I can walk across that stage in May and end my four years here at Millersville knowing that the best four years of my life were spent in exactly the right place and that I am fully prepared for post-grad life.
**Panhellenic Council (PHC) will be hosting Spring Sorority Recruitment February 5th through February 12th. Check out the Facebook event for more information.**