This past Thursday, the newest sorority to come to F&M, Alpha Delta Pi, welcomed its founding class of 85 girls–sophomores, juniors and seniors. These girls may be the first at F&M, but they know they are a part of a larger community.
“On the first day when I got my bid I put it up on tumblr and in about an hour I got three messages from ADPi girls around Pennsylvania saying “hey” and welcoming me to the ADPi family.” Explained Kuhoo Rattan, class of 2014.
These girls live by the motto “First. Finest. Forever,” which has been especially meaningful for this first founding class of ADPi at F&M.
Zoe Yellen, class of 2013, noted how ADPi is truly a community: “It’s so cool to be so unique and so different from all the others as a new pledge class. ADPi brings people together who would normally not talk to each other or barely knew each other to become sisters in friendship.”
These girls have both a fun side, as shown by the candid photos they took together and their spirited chanting of the spirit song, but are also very serious about their work with respect to philanthropy.
Yellen remarked: “ADPi focuses on students as leaders, and as I am very involved in student leadership positions, this was very important to me. Before I got a bid, I had an interview with two people from nationals and I attended philanthropy night, which talked all about the philanthropy and how it relates to us.”
Rattan echoed these thoughts, saying “We’re bringing a new feel to the Greek life on campus and we are a really diverse group of girls who are very passionate about each other and about ADPi and our philanthropy.”
As to what drew girls to ADPi, each girl responded with a different aspect of ADPi that she respected and loved.
Yellen stated, “I had tried other Greeks before but had gotten rejected. I thought that the third time might be the charm. I found out through an info session about ADPi’s great emphasis on leadership, which greatly attracted me as a student deeply involved in leadership opportunities.”
Rattan also remarked how leadership was important to her, but also explained: “I love the history–when I went to the info session and we learned the history of how it was the first secret female society and was formed by women younger than us. They were really progressive for their day and age. To me, ADPi also represents a whole new family that I can come home to when I’m at school. I’m hoping that ADPi allows me to broaden as a person–to meet more people and to really take a hold of the inner leader inside of me.”
The joy of acceptance into ADPi is in contrast to the nerves felt by these girls as they awaited the news of whether or not they got accepted into the sorority.
“I got the call in the middle of class, but I couldn’t really react because I was in my class. Once my friends found out though, they all got super excited for me.” Yellen remarked.
Rattan’s story was a more nerve wracking one. “I convinced myself that I wouldn’t get a bid. After I got the news that I got in, I was in complete shock the whole day.”
Since there has never been an ADPi class at F&M before, these girls know that they have to make a history. They are the first pledge class and they are willing to make ADPi’s history here at F&M a good one.
Rattan explained, “This honor of being the first pledge class is something that means a lot to me. It means a lot to have been given this opportunity and to show how much you have to offer F&M. I know that I’ve found a place here that will always be in my heart and I want to make it the best for ever–to show that you don’t have to be a certain type of person to be on top–you just need a lot of passion and dedication.”
These girls had already formed a common bond by day one after they all got accepted. Everyone was taking pictures together and proudly chanted the spirit song of “I Love My ADPi”. They are making friendships that will last forever and will always see themselves as a part of the ADPi community.
ADPi may be new at F&M, but it is already a home to the 85 founding sisters.