An Open Letter to My Sorority

Dear Alpha Phi,

I never thought I would like you as much as I do. When we first met, it seemed like a crazy idea to join a sorority. I didn’t rush, and I had never considered it. Something small in some of your members convinced me to go to a meeting, to meet some people, and to try it out. I got swept up in it all, despite my best efforts. You enchanted me. I haven’t been the same since I joined. I’ve been better, stronger, and more confident because of the other Alpha Phi girls around me.

I don’t mean to be gushy – there are still some times when I can’t believe we’re together. You, with your girly attitudes and chants and hand symbols, and me, with my weird interests and busy life – it doesn’t make logical sense. The idea that “sisterhood” could be found with a bunch of girls I didn’t know seemed far-fetched before I joined. Paying money for that “sisterhood” seemed even crazier.

Despite all that, I found myself drawn to your ceremonies and traditions, to your welcoming words and warmth. Slowly, all of those ideas that seemed crazy to me before started to seem to be beside the point. The point, as it appeared to me, was that you were there to welcome me, as I was, into a group whose sole purpose is to provide a family-like atmosphere without any “reason.” We didn’t have to know each other – we wanted the same things, and we found them in our beautiful space on JFK St. with silver and Bordeaux all around us.

Not only was I joining the lovely girls at Harvard, but I was also entering into a sisterhood with thousands of girls all over the country. That may sound stupid – as it did to me a year ago. But there is something undeniably “sisterly” about my relationship to you, Alpha Phi. It’s not something that changes often, like friends, with fights or moving or jobs. It is constant, and it’s always a given, for the rest of my life. Like sisters. We are bound to each other, for better or worse – and we all want it to be for better. That common interest creates a unique atmosphere of love, investment, and importance.  

A common question during recruitment is: Why did you join your sorority? I can honestly say that I don’t know why I joined. I do, though, know why I stayed. It’s unlike anything else on campus. When I was running the Boston Marathon last year, a few Alpha Phi girls whom I had just met (literally, probably two or three weeks before), came out to support me near the finish line. After the explosions happened that prevented me from finishing the race, I went home for a few days and found it really hard to come back to school. When I finally did return later that week, I found my room decorated with the posters they had made for me – beautiful, loving, encouraging posters, surrounded by ivy leaves and “Phi” puns. My friends that I had known for months were of course there for me, but my sisters in Alpha Phi were there with me. And they were there before I even really knew them. They were sisters first, and the friendship came naturally.  

Alpha Phi, you’ve given me more than I could have hoped for. I was the most unlikely candidate to join a sorority, but here I am. I hope you get the most amazing group of girls during recruitment this year, so that I can show them the kind of love and support that you’ve shown me.

Love forever,

Liz

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