I will be honest. If I told my high school or even first-year self that I joined a sorority, I would laugh so hard I cried. I do not see myself as a “sorority girl”. I barely see myself as a person who would ever have a huge friend group or social circle. I knew a lot of people who were in involved in sororities and fraternities and loved the experience, but I did not expect to ever be drawn to that kind of college experience. So when I made the crazy decision to go to recruitment for Sigma Alpha, I didn’t expect to get involved or even stay the whole event, but was pleasantly surprised with the ultimate outcome.

For a little context, Sigma Alpha is a professional sorority for women in agriculture. We are an associate chapter of the national Sigma Alpha sorority, but still are heavily involved in all aspects of Greek Life at Penn State. We focus a lot of our efforts on service, academics, and professional development by doing volunteer work at the Student Farm, having study hours, holding “Women of the Month” talks, and so much more.

Throughout my first two years here at PSU, I didn’t quite find a group of friends aside from my roommates. I was involved in a lot of clubs and societies, but never clicked with a lot of people. After some consideration and talking with my partner and friends, I decided that maybe it was time to explore other options outside of academic clubs and societies. When a person from Food Science Club asked me if I wanted to join her sorority (shout out Katie), I was hesitant but decided it was time to take a little leap of faith.

Fast forward a whole semester. I am now a sister of Sigma Alpha. This week is recruitment, but this time, I am on the other side of the proverbial fence. I get to spend the meetings representing the sorority, meeting amazing women in agriculture, and making new connections. Just after attending the first meeting, it occurred to me how intimidating that experience could be to someone who is new to Penn State and to Greek Life in general. When I participated in recruitment, I didn’t feel any sort of pressure or nerves because I knew that the person who invited me (and my now future roommate) would be there to talk to if I felt alone. Luckily, I felt welcome from the very first day. Every event that was held that week affirmed that this would be the place I started to make lifetime connections. My goal from this week is to make everyone who attends feel the same way. Whether people ultimately decide to join the sisterhood is not as important as making warm connections with everyone I can and make them feel welcome. I want to be a person who represents Sigma Alpha as the welcoming community of people it really is.

My biggest takeaway from the experience of becoming a sister and witnessing recruitment: there is no such thing as a “sorority girl”. There are only lovely people who happen to be a part of a sorority. I have found great friends. I have found a life-long sisterhood. I have found a true community. And I couldn’t be happier to be a Sigma Alpha sister.