Dear Rho Gamma,
I don’t know what I would have done without you. Recruitment was one of the most stressful, emotional and craziest weeks of my life. Without you, I don’t think I would have survived.
You held me while I cried, you built up my plummeting self-esteem, and you texted me to keep going when I felt like I couldn’t.
A lot of people don’t understand the emotional roller coaster that is sorority recruitment. For one week, potential new members (PNMs) visit chapter after chapter to find their home. They endure the 100 degree Florida heat, long walks in shoes that give them blisters, and rejection. No matter how high your self-esteem is going into recruitment, it will inevitably drop. Getting cut from a chapter you fell in love with is like being dumped.
I did not have the best recruitment experience. I got cut from a lot of chapters and felt terrible about myself. All I could think was, “Was it something I did? Something I said? Was I not good enough?”
You didn’t let me wallow in this self-pity, however. You rebuilt my crumbling confidence by ensuring me that I wasn’t meant to be in the chapters that cut me. You said everything happens for a reason. I couldn’t see this at the time, but now I can. The chapters that asked me back wanted me for who I was.
On preference night I was torn between two amazing chapters. You helped me weigh the pros and cons of each one. You patiently let me talk myself through deciding which chapter was best for me. I’ll never forget when you said, “Imagine yourself on your worst day. You failed a big test, or your boyfriend broke up with you, or your dog died. Which chapter do you see yourself leaning on for comfort?” Then I knew instantly which chapter was right for me.
You inspired me to hopefully become a Rho Gamma through your passion for the Panhellenic Council and kindness towards all of us in your Rho Gamma group. You treated all 12 of us individually and took as much time as we needed to let us vent and have a shoulder to lean on.
I still have the letter you gave me at Bid Day, explaining how proud you were of me for getting through such a hard week. It makes me believe in myself just like you did.
Love,
Isabelle
Photo credits: Isabelle D’Antonio