Joining a Sorority

Rushing Phi Rho Alpha

Description

I never intended to join a social sorority. I attended my first rush event because my friend from high school invited me, it was free, and why not. I ended up attending all of the rush events. When it came time to fill out my application and schedule an interview, I once again thought, why not? I hoped to get a bid, but I would live if I didn’t. Long story short, I got a bid, pledged, and am now an active sister. Phi Rho Alpha is a local sorority at the University of Michigan. This means that the sisters control what happens to our dues money and what rules we want to follow, within the University’s standards of course. We had 32 active sisters when I joined, all of whom contribute equally to our sorority. Being an active sister means that we support each other in our daily lives. We attend each other’s events, as well as host our own events. We also take part in philanthropy around the city of Ann Arbor.

Importance

As a sorority, we not only affect each other’s lives, but strive to change the lives of others as well. In February of 2011, we were declared the champions of the 2011 Wrap Up America Fort Building Challenge. The idea behind the challenge was to bring as many blankets to donate so that it was possible to make the most awesome fort there. As a sorority, we donated numerous blankets to the Wrap Up America group. This group takes these blankets and distributes them to the homeless.

Phi Rho Alpha’s charity is the Michigan Autism Partnership. In fall of 2010, we partnered with the fraternity Phi Delta Theta to host a Ben & Jerry’s fundraiser and date auction. We auctioned off three of our fellow sisters to raise a decent amount of money to donate.

Phi Rho Alpha has taken part in many other philanthropy events, but there are far too many to list here. But we do more than just philanthropy. Because our sisterhood is diverse, as a group, we have attended and supported many cultural events on campus. For example, one sister is from Malaysia and her student group was hosting a cultural night in Winter 2011. Our social calendar had a date event planned for the same day. Instead of having sisters chose which event to go to, we simply moved our date event to a different day so we could all attend the cultural night. Learning about each other is something we take value in.

Skills Gained

· Life doesn’t always work out the way you planned

· Understanding and appreciation of cultures

· Communication with large groups

· Working with and within a large group

Lessons Learned

Being part of a group of girls can be tricky at times. I have learned to balance emotion and thought- meaning I have to be able to set aside my emotions at times to think through things. It can be easy to hear the first part of what someone is saying and think you know the rest of it. Being part of a sorority has forced me to listen fully before making judgments. I have learned that I can be friends with people with which I have little in common. One of my best friends is our sister from Malaysia who just moved to the United States for college. All of this group works gives me the skills I need for later life. Regardless of what I end up doing in life, it will require me to work well with others. Being able to table my emotions for the benefit of the group is a trait that not many people have, but one I have learned quite well.

Impact

Growing up, I had bounced from friend group to friend group. I had very few long lasting friendships. People had told me not to worry about it because college is where you find your true friends. As a freshman, I was involved in many things, but didn’t make many lasting friendships- something I learned as I progressed through my first semester of sophomore year. Being part of a sisterhood, I now have numerous girls who I can call not only life-long friends, but also sisters. My sisters share in the best of times and the worst of times. They force me to leave my books once in a while and de-stress. I have scheduled fun time, whether it be a rush event or sisterhood event- which is something I’ve tried to implement for myself in the past, but have failed at doing. Yet still, Phi Rho Alpha allows me to be myself. Our open motto is friendship rooted in individuality, which is exactly what I have found.

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