When I walked into the first round of Sigma recruitment, I was met by a flash of purple and chanting. When I got my bid and ran screaming to my new sisters, I knew that my life had changed for the better, for good. To all you PNMs out there, here are just a few of the reasons why I will always be proud of my choice to join Sigma Sigma Sigma.
Inseparable bonds that last a lifetime
The people that I met in Sigma aren’t the kinds of sisters that stand by you just for “throw what you know” pictures. Those friendships don’t end after graduation, either. Every year, Sigma holds a brunch dedicated to honoring our alumni, and I look forward to it knowing I can see family members that have long graduated as well as friends who have been busy pursuing their Masters or a full-time job. It’s guaranteed that they’ll show up to school-wide events such as homecoming or Relay for Life, but in past years they have even volunteered their time to connect with PNMs during recruitment rounds and give their insights. It makes me feel better knowing that I will always be welcome back on campus with my sisters, no matter how old I get.
Via
(And, yes, that is Carrie Underwood. Having her as a sister is an added bonus.)
Making college more than about yourself
Joining Sigma was so much more than a social status. These women have truly inspired me to be a better person and give more than I take. Last semester, one of my sisters suggested that for Relay for Life, several of us with long hair should volunteer to cut it and donate it to Pantene Beautiful Lengths while raising money for the Relay for Life event through sponsors. I volunteered, raised $140, and eight inches of hair later felt like a rock star. As a chapter, we raised over $1,000. My sisters surrounded me on the stage where the haircuts were taking place and cheered me on. Several other sisters joined me, and I felt like we now shared a special bond. Several women and men, Greek and non-Greek, also participated. That was one of the best days of my life.
When I went through philanthropy round, I didn’t even know what the word ‘philanthropy’ meant. I would have never known that sorority women affiliated themselves with an organization to selflessly make donations to. Our official philanthropy is the Robbie Page Memorial, named after the son of one of our founders who died of polio. While its original goal was to find a cure for polio, now the money goes towards therapeutic play in hospitals. Once a semester, a group of my sisters travel to the RPM Playroom at UNC Children’s Hospital. A lot of people who donate don’t get to see what their money is really going towards, so it amazed me that we would spend time with the children there. That is what I call truly going above and beyond for a cause.
Holding ourselves to a higher standard
In Sigma, we hold ourselves to a higher standard. One of the ways we do that at my school is by dressing up every Thursday in ‘badge’, which is casual business attire. We want to represent ourselves not only as sorority women, but professionals who know how to act and dress appropriately in the real world. When I wear my triangle badge, I automatically hold myself more accountable for all of my actions, just as I would wearing letters (which we do every Monday).
Another way we stand out on campus is by our grades. Sigma is known for having the highest Greek GPA on campus. The ways we work to achieve that are by study hall hours and a sisterhood event known as “Scholarship Scoop”. As a newly initiated sister, you must have two study hall hours every week. Sometimes it was hard, because as a freshman I didn’t have a massive amount of homework, but I was always glad that I went. It wasn’t just a social event, but an opportunity to seek help from sisters in a class you’re struggling in. Our “Scholarship Scoop” event is held once a semester after classes start. It’s a sisterhood in which we all get together, eat ice cream, and gather in groups based on majors to seek help for a class another sister has already taken. I look forward to this event every semester, because even though there’s only one other Communications major in my chapter, she always makes me feel better about a difficult class, and we can talk about the teaching styles of a certain professor. Those grades-related events definitely contribute to how well we do as a chapter. Not every sorority makes the effort to create such a good image for themselves, and I know that’s what continues to make us stand out from the rest.
