When I was a little girl, I thought being in a sorority just meant that you wore a lot of pink, had tons and tons of friends and got to have sleepovers all the time.

When I was in high school, I thought being in a sorority was just for stuck-up girls who partied a lot and threw up dumb hand signs in all of their Facebook pictures.

Now that I’m in college, I know that neither is the case.

Last week I went through recruitment.

Actually, last Thursday and Friday I went through recruitment.

I didn’t go the first two days because I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to be in a sorority.

Thursday, I decided to go with my best friend just to see what it was all about.

I’m so glad that I did.

Just in those two days I could see how important the organizations were to all of the members.

I could tell how much each woman meant to the next.

I could tell how much they believed in the philanthropy they practiced.

In those two days, it became important to me to be a part of what they were a part of.

Missouri Southern has two sororities, Zeta Tau Alpha and Alpha Sigma Alpha.

By preference night, the last day of recruitment, I had decided that I wanted to be a part of the latter.

That next day, I got my bid.

I opened the envelope to discover an invitation to become a member of the Alpha Sigma Alpha sisterhood.

In just one week, I’ve met and gotten to know these beautiful women who I now call my sisters.

I understand now what being in a sorority is all about.

It’s not about logging service hours or going to events because you have to.

 It’s about giving back and becoming part of something great for the rest of your life. It’s about being there for each other and sharing your experiences together.

Now that I’m in college and have gone through the process, I’ve gotten just a taste of what sorority life is like, but I already know that I made the right decision.

I can’t wait to continue to get to know the women of Alpha Sigma Alpha.