Proud to Be Greek Wednesdays - July 4th, 2018

The lifelong bonds you form, the communities you serve, and the invaluable lessons you learn are all part of an unforgettable Greek organization experience. Joining a brotherhood or sisterhood is an honor and a privilege, and with it comes social awareness and responsibility. Each week we are going to be featuring an essay written by a fraternity/sorority member to highlight how Greek life has had a positive impact. A Big Milestone University is the milestone idolized by the adolescents stuck within the confines of a too-familiar small town, moving away from home and your parents and living on your own. It would be the first step into adulthood. I lived in the same house for over a decade and my peers were the same faces I’d seen since the first grade. I craved independence away from my strict household and romanticized the thought of surrounding myself with new faces. With my diploma in hand, I let go of the golden years of high school and looked for my new future in college. Leaving my small town bubble meant that I had to leave everything I knew and everything I was known for. I had a clean start, but I was also alone. I felt the sting of loneliness as I moved into my freshmen dorm with no knowledge of the women walking past me. I was worried that I would not be able to find my place in this school. My fears subsided once I opened myself up to going Greek. Before I stepped onto Brenau University's campus, I was convinced that I would not fit into Greek Life. I was heavily involved in student leadership in high school and was known to be a sociable person, but I had a clear image of what Greek Life was from popular media. There was this stigma that blanketed all of Greek Row and I was turned off by the superficial popularity contests and artificial relationships. It was not until I stepped on Brenau’s campus when my perspective was completely changed. The women involved in Greek Life on this campus care about each other. They want to see you succeed rather than push you down. These women reached out to me, saw my potential for leadership on this campus, and recognized my hunger to make a difference. I didn’t know how to mold myself into an atypical sorority girl, but these women showed me that I didn’t need to. They were strong in their beliefs and taught me how to stand firm in mine. They were kind to me and showed me that meeting people with an open heart is more important than meeting people with an impressive resume. They were compelled to make a difference in the world and guided me to finding ways to create a positive effect in my community. My anxiety of leaving home faded as I found myself becoming a woman with stronger character and ambitious goals. My sisters at Delta Delta Delta have carried me through my formative years here on Brenau’s campus, but it’s not just my sisters of my affiliation. Greek women across the campus support each other. There was no division based off of class, vanity, or race. There was no stereotypes or prejudices. There was a new sense of unity that I could only understand if experienced first hand, and I am forever grateful for those women that reached a hand out to me when I was so lost.
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