Reflections of a Sentimental Senior

This spring marks my fourth recruitment season. One year as a membership candidate, three as an active sister. It feels so much longer and so much shorter than that all at the same time. I often say that every semester feels like a year; that would mean that this last semester is year seven of sisterhood. I remember the rush process like it was yesterday. Sometimes I look back and wonder how my mess of a self managed to get a bid, and I thank my lucky stars that I did because I honestly cannot imagine my undergraduate career without Sigma Alpha.

Before SA, I had friends, but I hadn't really found my place yet on campus. These women are my people. They are there for the successes and failures, the happy and the sad tears, the laughter, the late night study struggles. They mend broken hearts and understand the magic of a power flower. They cheer you on in a world where women have a tendency to tear each other down.

I began my journey as a fairly lost freshman who had a negative perception of the words “Greek life”. I sought out people like me – professional women with an interest in agriculture. Not that my interest in agriculture was that strong at the time. I just so happened to be in CANR, but my affection towards our college and the ag-ducation it has given me is a very long story for another time.

Throughout recruitment, initiation, the MC process, and activation, you know what you are getting into, but you don’t. You know that you are forging a bond between yourself and the members of your chapter. Beyond that, you are bonded to women all over the country who are also proud professional women in agriculture. But the relationship starts out very formal. I like that we are able to be supportive of each other’s future endeavors and work together to develop skills that will make us better members of the up and coming workforce. That’s why I joined an organization that puts an emphasis on professional development.

But something else inevitable happens when you spend so much time with a diverse group of young women who are willing to share pieces of themselves with each other. It’s right there in the objective – “to strengthen the bonds of friendship among them”. The relationship blossoms into something so much deeper than the initial connection that you made. Suddenly, your social calendar looks very familiar to that of your fellow baby bulls. You always have someone to sit with in class. And then, YOU MOVE IN TOGETHER. Yes, I have lived with not one, but three of my fellow sisters. Shoutout to these beautiful people who have somehow put up with me:

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It’s hard to believe that I have only been a sister for three years. Sigma Alpha has made up so much of my college career, and for that reason, I have so many memories that I have shared with my sisters.

I served as the Alpha Kappa Chapter’s Philanthropy Chair for two years before stepping down, and it never ceased to amaze me the kind of support that I received from sisters who shared the same values as me. It wasn’t difficult to convince anyone to dress up as a scarecrow for Boo at the Zoo. A simple hashtag (#PieOrPayUp) turned into countless videos of sisters being smacked in the face with whipped cream. That stuff leaves the smell of spoiled milk in your nose for days. Those were the good old days of canning for UDance. Sisters would bring their dogs; we danced around in the bed of a sister’s truck to attract donors on Main Street; we even walked around an Eagle’s game tailgate. I never had to beg for participation because the interest was there. The day of UDance 2015, Sam Gartley and I chopped off our long locks together. Hair grows back and I would do just about anything #FTK. The fact that sisters are all so willing to give back to our community – that’s what I love most about our sisterhood. When we are passionate about a cause, we take action.

These women who I have shared these and many more experiences with are not just my sisters but also my friends. They have shaped me in to the woman that I am today. I have changed significantly throughout my time at UD, and I owe a lot of that positive change to my sisters. We are women empowering women both personally and professionally.

I’m unbelievably sad that my time at UD is coming to a close, but I know that the bonds I have forged with some of my sisters are going to live long past graduation.