If there were one word to describe my childhood, it would be ‘sisterhood.’ In 2006, I became the youngest sister of my two older sisters. Even though we were almost five years apart, I was their little best friend. Then, 13 and a half months later, came my youngest sister. My dad was now seriously outnumbered by four daughters. Our house was filled with Disney princess costumes, Barbies and American Girl dolls. Thankfully, my little brother came along a couple of years later to keep him sane. My sisters and I would play dress up, do each other’s makeup and laugh until we cried.
Over the years, dressing up turned into helping each other pick out outfits for school and doing each other’s makeup for school dances. As we grew up, our sisterhood never dulled. There were still the same giggles and occasional arguments over shoes. This time, instead of the Barbie slippers, it was Birkenstocks. For others, having three different opinions on every single one of the decisions you make might seem crazy, but it was my normal. I had built in best friends who loved and supported me, for me.
I was heartbroken when, in 2016, we moved my oldest sister into her dorm. Thankfully, she went to a local school, so she was no more than a 20-minute drive away. I remember very vividly, after we got her all set up in her dorm room, I stole one of the cat erasers she had on her whiteboard just to still have a piece of her with me. Then, in 2020, my second-oldest sister left for college. She attended a school almost nine hours away to live out her dream of playing college volleyball. My heart was so happy for her, but selfishly, I was mad at her for going so far away.
In 2020, I was starting high school without my two big sisters to support me. High school itself is scary at 15, but adding COVID to the mix makes it terrifying. The transition wasn’t smooth, to say the least. I developed anxiety over the course of the pandemic, and school became my biggest fear. I had turned from the most extroverted girl who talked to every single person that came her way, to an introvert who was scared to talk to anyone, let alone leave her house. The worst of all- I didn’t have my sisters.
My solution? I occupied almost every moment of my time, leaving no time for me to be anxious. I was involved in high school theater, community theater and our local summer musical. I took on leadership positions, joined every club possible, took the hardest classes I could and worked at a volleyball club as a volleyball coach. By the end of high school, I served as president of about six different clubs and was involved in over 15 organizations. I lost many parts of myself trying to fit into a mold that would satisfy people around me. By the time I graduated, I had no idea what true friendship even was or who I was.
In 2024, it was my turn to leave for college. I decided to go to Ball State University. I wasn’t initially going to go through recruitment, and I honestly couldn’t tell you why not. I had many family members who were not only in Greek life but also heavily involved. My family was filled with Panhellenic leaders and founding members of fraternities and sororities.
I knew the words sorority and sisterhood went hand in hand, but it sounded too good to be true. Even with little interest in sorority life, I made a deal with my freshman-year roommate. I told her, “If you go through recruitment, I will.” I honestly did not think she was going to end up going through recruitment, but she did. Which meant I had to, too. I wasn’t upset at all by any means, because deep down, I think I knew I wanted to.
So, I made two promises to myself: I wouldn’t change my values or who I was for other people, and I would make genuine friendships. I kept those promises in mind during the recruitment process.
In Alpha Omicron Pi, I found girls who didn’t want me to change my values, didn’t want to morph me into a mold that I didn’t fit into. Not only did they have values that aligned with mine, but they continuously encouraged me to grow through the values I hold closest to me. A lot of who I am stems from my ambition, and I think many people are intimidated by it. But in AOII, my ambition isn’t feared, it is encouraged, and I am no longer alone in shooting for the stars. My sisters truly push me to be the best person I can be and support me in whatever dream I may have.
AOII made me realize that the meaning of true friendship was sisterhood. And just like my biological sisters, we help each other pick out outfits, help each other do our makeup for dances and laugh until we are sobbing. My sorority sisters are my built-in best friends, who love me for me and support me, just like my sisters do at home. It feels like growing up with my sisters all over again.
I truly didn’t think that sisterhood existed anywhere other than at my home. I didn’t know that I could find a sisterhood that so closely mirrored the sisterhood I had experienced for the first 15 years of my life. But it does, and I did. In AOII, I found a second home, a place to belong and the bonus sisterhood I didn’t know I needed.
