Be-YOU-tiful {Be Yourself}

Being yourself isn’t something you always think of when you think of about being in sorority. People tend to think girls in a sorority all wear the same things, think the same thoughts and are all just housewives in training. Well I am here to tell you that is not what being in a sorority is like, even though I thought the exact same thing as I went through recruitment. Now looking back on, it I think of how wrong I was. I have learned not only so much about myself but also about my sorority and how we are everything but a stereotype.

We are a group of women who are leaders on and off campus, in our communities, and we are scholars. We encourage each other to go out for all kinds of different things. We study with each other and support our own philanthropy along with other philanthropies. Being in a sorority has given me the confidence to step out of my comfort zone and step up and become a leader within my chapter. When I was a freshman going through recruitment I never thought I would end up holding so many different positions in my organization that all taught me something different about myself.

Being a member of an all female organization you would think we would all just be mean to one another but it really is just the opposite. My sisters encourage me to be the best version of myself and to never let anything or anyone get me down. They have been by my side on my best and worst days and never asked me to be anything but myself. That is what I think be-YOU-tiful means. It means to always be true to yourself, and like I said I have never been asked to change myself, I’ve only been encouraged to be myself.

Having that kind of that encouragement is important to all women, especially in today’s society. Women are so critical on themselves and having that support system of women always telling you to shoot for the stars is so important. I am never afraid to do something because I know even if I fail I have my sisters to pick me up and dust me off and tell me to just try again. I have never felt like I couldn’t do something or that I wasn’t supported in the decisions I was making, because I knew I always had my sisters there to count on.

I am truly blessed to be a part of an organization full of such supportive women, who always make me feel like being myself is okay and that I should never be anything but that.

Post Written by Guest Blogger, Hallie Mitchell; Edited by UNA Panhellenic

                  

Sorority Is...Authentic

I walked through freshman orientation with a leather jacket and a head full of music sung by bands I was sure no one knew. I was on my way to joining the creative community, and I was not about to let a sorority stop me. I imagined that the people wanting to go Greek had never experienced the importance of authenticity. I was sure that every single pledge was insecure and would eventually resent their organization for frivolous things.

 As my freshman year progressed and I got more involved I began admiring some of the hardest working people on campus. Only after I made role models of these people did I realize they wore letters. This sparked my interest in Greek Life, quietly at first. I began doing silly things like taking a Buzzfeed quiz to see which sorority I belonged in, going to parties hosted by fraternities and sororities (trying to not look too curiously at the letters), and constantly asking my boyfriend (who was in a fraternity) about the sorority’s reputations on campus.

Long story short, I went through fall recruitment (which is its own odyssey). On one hand I felt like I’d betrayed a part of myself, but on the other I felt like I was finally allowing myself to be someone I always discredited.  See, a lot of people picture sorority girls as bullies, drinking buddies, or as the unintelligent populous of campus.  As if being in a sorority means selling your soul for a bid. I would have to say that since being in a sorority I’ve gotten to know myself better. The ladies I’m surrounded by encourage authenticity much more than a lot of people in my life. They expect me to be me, and they encourage all of the weird that make up who I am. No one forces attendance anywhere because I’m genuinely excited to be with my sisters.

What I’ve experienced since joining a sorority is absolute love. Everyone has been supportive of me when I have to miss events and cared about me when I’ve been rather atrocious. They’ve helped me shake off the idea that persona is better than character and helped me value who I am and who I want to be. They’ve challenged my understanding of what it means to care for someone, and taught me how lovely it is to be a part of something bigger than yourself.

So though I still have a leather jacket and playlists full of indie credit, I feel no shame about singing Hannah Montana  at formal. Where Instagram makes Greek life look like the movies, there are un-noted hours of sincerity. Being in a sorority allows you to challenge yourself and learn what large scale love is.  

Post Written by Guest Blogger, Mollie Schaefer; Edited by UNA Panhellenic