I never thought I would ever be part of Greek life. Growing up as a competitive swimmer, it was never part of the game plan. I always had practice, meets, or events that prohibited me from branching out of the student-athlete bubble. Although the journey wasn’t easy, I enjoyed my time swimming for American for my first two years of college. I then realized swimming had done all it could for me, and it was time to try new things in my life that I was never able to do while still on the team. So, in the fall semester, I went abroad to Madrid. I traveled to ten countries within four months. It was easily one of the best decisions I made in my life.
When I returned to school this semester after being gone for nine months, I did not know what my new college life would be like without swimming. I quickly found that without the sport, I was constantly able to stay busy. I started working three jobs in addition to being a member of the executive board of HerCampus while also juggling a social life and my school work. I didn’t think I needed a sorority to take up my time.
One day in the beginning of the semester, I was hanging out with some friends who are in sororities at American. They tried convincing me to rush this semester, but I was very hesitant for two main reasons. For one, I was a junior. Because I am older than most girls who go through recruitment, I thought that no one would want me to join their sorority. Secondly, a lot of my friends who are not affiliated had negative ideas about the Greek community. I believed that if I were to go through recruitment, a lot of my friends would not accept my decision to rush. As a people pleaser, I tend to go with the flow. To solve this dilemma, I naturally called my mother. She told me that it would never hurt to try it and see what it would be like, just in case I would regret the decision if I didn’t try it. If I didn’t like it, then I could just leave.
On that thought, I decided to sign up 30 minutes before the deadline to register. I went into the process with zero expectations with which sorority I wanted or what each sorority was like. What I got out of it was a strong and dedicated group of women that I now call my sisters. Prior to recruitment, I never had a strong, supportive feminine group that I could count on for everything. The girls in my sorority want what is best for me and will be there for me no matter what. Now that I have found my organization, I realize it was one of the best things I could have done for myself to become the best person I can be.