By Ali Swee ′16
I’ve known I’ve wanted to rush since I was in grade school. When we’d watch my parents’ wedding video, I’d always look forward to the part where my mom’s Alpha Xi Delta sisters surrounded her and carried out a part of their ritual. My dad always rolled his eyes. I watched with wide eyes, knowing that was exactly what I wanted someday. Upon visiting Rhodes, I immediately fell in love with the quaint sorority cottages and the vibrant Greek life. It was just one of the many things that brought me to this incredible school.
So, on bid day, when I ripped open my card to see the name of the house I truly wanted embossed across the thick cream paper, I was beyond excited. After bid day, we were put in groups to get know our pledge class, led by an older girl who acted as a mentor to us. We began to learn the history and the meaning behind this hundred-year-old organization. I began to realize that this organization was not only about me and the 180 girls sitting around me, but about a larger sisterhood, one that transcends location and generations.
There are so many aspects of sorority life that are important to me. I love being a part of an organization that does so much good for the community, whether it is working with kids or fundraising for a national charity. And whether it’s mom’s weekend, our homecoming float, or a parent’s weekend brunch, my sorority offers me dozens of experiences I wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else. As cheesy as it sounds, I couldn’t imagine my life without my sorority. My sisters have become my best friends--the ones who brought me doughnuts when my godmother died, who take me out to Wendy’s for a study break on a Wednesday night, and the ones who will sign up for golf with me just so I can get that last PE credit.
Here at Rhodes, though, there is no stereotypical sorority girl. We pride ourselves on our diversity within the four little cottages situated on sorority row. While I live for Wall Street Journal articles and monogramed headbands, I have sisters who dream of attending medical school, volunteer at schools across the city, and play all kinds of sports I could never play because I’d probably get a concussion. We’re all so different, but that’s what makes our sisterhood so strong. My sorority has given me so much more than a drawer full of t-shirts (although it’s given me that too). I am proud to be a part of a larger sisterhood, and know it is a relationship that won’t end once I leave Rhodes.