I’m 22-years-old and over 300 miles from my mommy and daddy, and over 1,000 miles
away from my biological sister, who is the reason my world spins on its axis and the
reason my sun shines even on rainy days. If you know me, you know she is my shoulder
to lean on, my ear to listen to me, and my hand to hold, even from Kansas City, Missouri.
She cries with me when I’m down, and then brings me up in ways that I don’t even
understand. I’m convinced that even if we weren’t born from the same womb there is still
some way she would be in my life.
I’m incredibly blessed to have her, but since she was literally handed to me, I might even
be luckier to have found the group of friends I found when I was 10 years old. The girls
who went through my braces and Limited Too phase not only next to me, but thankfully
with me. The girls that came into my world before all the boy drama and the college
acceptance letters and the anxiety post grad brings.
Still to this day, I thank Emma Kaufmann Camp every single day for giving me the kind
of friendships that you see in the movies. Girls that know how to make me laugh AND
cry with just one word or one look; and for being the reason it’s worth driving literally 20
hours in one weekend just to sleep next to them in their Ohio State apartment.
Even when I was 12 and never had my first kiss or first boyfriend or first heartbreak,
there was not a single doubt in my mind these girls would be standing next to me at my
wedding, every day before that, and every day after.
When I was 18 years old and unsure of what school I wanted to go to, or what city I
wanted to live in, there was one thing that I never doubted. I wanted friends that would
turn into family. Like my camp friends, I was looking for relationships that would bring a
new meaning to having friends for a lifetime. That’s when I decided to rush. Never
having been to Philadelphia before I moved here freshman year, I quickly fell in love with
this City. I loved everything about it, from the people, to the stores, and of course, the
food. However, Temple wasn’t “home” until I received my bid from Delta Phi Epsilon. I am
proud to be a part of an organization whose motto basically pushes me to be the best
version of myself. I love to brag about my sisters, their accomplishments, the places
they’ve been, and the people they’ve met. With every year Delta Nu grows and
flourishes in ways that I would have never imagined.
The women in our chapter have impacted our sorority in ways that bring me to tears and
take my breathe away whenever I think about it. As we were newly rechartered in 2009,
I cannot express to you how each woman has had their individual impact on our success.
Looking back at my high school friends, I realize how similar they are to myself. When I
received my bid in 2012 there is no way I would have been able to understand and fully
grasp what would be to come. If given the chance to prepare my 18-year-old self for
college I would have told the timid yet excited freshman girl that everything works out
better than I could have ever dreamt.
I would have said that there will be highs that will
make you feel like nothing could compare and lows that will make you feel like you could
never smile again. However, life moves on and time heals all. No matter what time of the
day, what situation might have come up, or where we currently are in the world, my
sisters are there. They’re in my heart, in my dreams, and in the back of mind with every
decision (bad or good) I make. They taught me to be able to laugh at myself and brush
things off my shoulder. They taught me to not only reach for the stars but to not stop
there. They brought me out of my shell and out of my comfort zone, and for that I will be
forever grateful. Today, I am confident passing on my beloved chapter in which I put my
heart and soul into.
Even though everyone who knows me well enough makes fun of me for being such a
crier, I look at it as a positive thing. As hard as it will be to move on from Temple and
move on from Delta Phi Epsilon, I know the tears mean that it was all worth it. My
already large family will grow without me, my friends will move away, yet my sisterhood
will flourish. Although I will physically be gone from Temple, Delta Phi Epsilon will stick
with me for the rest of my life and I am confident enough to say that I know that for a
As my last recruitment comes to a close, my heart is heavy knowing that my time as an
undergraduate at the most amazing university is too quickly coming to an end.
Even though I was lucky enough to be raised in the beautiful City of Pittsburgh, 215 is
home. Temple University in the middle of North Philadelphia is home. No matter what,
DPhiE isn’t the place I call home; it IS home.