When I came to college I joined a sorority. I moved three hours away and knew I would need to join a group to help me make friends and give me that “home away from home” feeling. I know everyone says that when you go through recruitment that you’ll walk into a room and immediately have that feeling of being home, but I was skeptical. However, I was pleasantly surprised when that was exactly how I felt when I walked into Zeta Tau Alpha’s (ZTA) room.
As I became more involved in Zeta Tau Alpha, I realized I had a deep connection with their philanthropy, Breast Cancer Awareness and Research. When I was younger my grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer and luckily she is now able to call herself a survivor. I have always been very close with my grandmother and am so thankful for the extra time we were given together. If we didn’t have people fighting for a cure and bringing awareness to breast cancer, I probably wouldn’t have my amazing, loving, and giving grandmother still to this day. My grandmother wouldn’t have been able to pass down her cooking secrets, her personal stories, or spent so many afternoons watching old movies with me. I am so thankful that my sorority allows me to give back to such an important cause. I am able to bring my grandmother to the “Pink Out” game every October and include her in my ZTA life. I know it means so much to my grandmother to still be included in my life. Zeta’s philanthropy gave me a way to give back to my grandmother, to give back to a cause that was so important to her, and a way to involve her in my life here at college.