March 13, 2012

DO something.

I have a million and five opinion about politics, our country, and today's primary, but you don't really care about that. And honestly? I don't care about your opinion either.

Not to be rude, but everyone knows it is true.

My advice?
1) Stop complaining.
2) Educate yourself.
3) Vote.

Voila...Change occurs. Your voice means something, just not on Facebook.

*if you're not registered to vote, do so today!

March 12, 2012

My Life is a Cliché, in the Very Best Way

In the summer, I wrote a blog about the possibility of going through Panhellenic recruitment. (Read it here.) Strangely, I chose not to go through recruitment. Since writing that article, much of my mentality towards the Greek system has changed: I no longer despise fraternity guys' apparel choices. (Hey, how can you not love that adorable little whale VV has?) I'm yet to meet a sorority girl who prides herself on acting vengeful towards her sisters. Most of the girls I know aren't even blonde! (Sorry for that shocker, but someone had to say it.) I don't believe that there is even a specific way to classify many Panhellenic systems. The movies don't even get close...

Last week, I was initiated into Delta Gamma.  After going through informal recruitment in November, I had been waiting for initiation. It was the moment at which what I've seen and worked for all semester would actually mean something. It became not just something I hoped for, but something that would become a part of my entire life, for the rest of my life. This sorority has transformed me. It has shown me what it means to be a part of and represent something greater than myself. I've seen bits of what sisterhood means, and I'm so ready to experience it to the fullest.

Initially, I was skeptical about the whole sorority experience. I'm not a cookie-cutter, but my sisters don't expect me to be. I'm a multi-faceted person and any interest I have, I can find a sister who shares that interest. But I'm not going to give you a schpeel about how great a sorority is because any sorority girl can tell you that. You can Google sororities national websites and see the professions of love for their sisters. These girls can tell you the logistics and what it seems like, but they can't tell you how it'll make you feel.

Delta Gamma makes me want to be a better person. Everywhere I look, I see my sisters running exec positions, volunteering, and serving on USGA. They're applying to medical school and speaking at conventions. I want to work harder for these girls. I want their legacies to mean something. I want the best for myself because I want the best for DG. I want people to look at my sisters, and see classy, smart, beautiful individuals who are accomplishing their dreams. I want people to see me and think, "Oh, she's a Delta Gee? Then that makes sense." Our unity is not because we're trying to fit into some stereotype of what we think we should look like or act like, but because we have the same goal: do something more, with ourselves, our school, and the world.

It isn't something that's forced. It can't be. What separates a sisterhood from a sorority is that the former is genuine. I didn't think I could actually grow to unconditionally love fifty other people. I didn't think that someone chosen as my "big sis" could really be my go-to gal. I didn't think that my sisters would be there for more than just kicks and giggles.

Boy, was I wrong.

I can honestly say that I absolutely love each and every one of my sisters 110%. They are some of the most devoted, motivated, and encouraging people I have ever met in my entire life. Never before have I been a part of something where I felt so welcomed. My whole life I've felt like people have "tolerated" me, but my sisters? They don't just tolerate my quirkiness; they embrace it.

My big? I cannot use words to describe her without sounding like a crazy, lesbian, stalker. Two days after I received my bid, I was was about to leave for my first sorority function and I was unnecessarily nervous but I remember seeing this girl I kind of recognized. She said hi to me, and gave me her number so I wouldn't have to walk to the suite alone. From then, she really started to reach out to me. She'd invite me to parties and lunch and to just hang out. Sometime in January, we started hanging out... a lot. We'd spend hours talking about everything and nothing at all. We'd talk about boys, shopping, theater, the sorority, but what we really bonded over was our love for Papa John's pizza. A month later, Big/Little Reveal didn't leave me disappointed. When I hate the world, she's there. When I want to watch Gossip Girl on a Friday night, she's there. When I need to talk, she's there. When I need to forget, she's there. Somehow, she always know which one is necessary, even before I do. She's a dreamer, but in all the best ways. She's a quiet leader, but she's fierce. She's so many things, but my favorite one is "Big." I could go on forever, but that nobody really cares about those little details.

But that's the best part.

My experiences may not mean anything to you. They're unique. They're special. They're perfect...because they're mine. And yours are perfect because they are yours. I know this sounds unnecessarily fufu cliche, but I believe it with every fiber of my being.

Maybe someone will read this and decide to join a sorority, maybe not. Sure, Greek life isn't for everyone, but it's important to keep your mind open, especially in college. My hope is that you are able to find somewhere in life what I've found in Delta Gamma. An organization that inspires you to be your best, and gives you the tools to do that.

My prayer is that you seek the best for yourself, each and every day, realizing that there are things bigger than yourself in this world. Whether you're inspired by Mary Comfort Leonard, George Washington, or even Madonna, make your life mean something.

March 11, 2012

To Be Amazing, You Have to Be Amazing

Lately, I have been telling everyone that I'm learning that "to be amazing, you have to be amazing." The reason people who are extraordinary are extraordinary is because they have made themselves that way. One simply cannot be the best if he is acting like all the rest.

All my life, I have been above average. I'm fairly smart, kinda pretty, and generally well-rounded. My parents told me I was special, and individually, yes, but inside society? Not quite, and when college applications rolled around, I had a rude awakening.

For a year, I have had some serious internal struggles going on in relation to my academic success, or lack of it. When my dream school offered me zero financial aid and denied me into the program that had won my heart, I broke. I loathed. I didn't want to face the failure I had believed that I was.

To counteract this, I have worked my butt off this year. I'm VERY involved on campus. I got a 4.0 last semester. I'm going on a mission trip. I work closely to important people within my specified college and major. I've made a name and a life for myself here...and I love it.

Right now, I think I'm dying. Okay, maybe not dying, but I feel quite terrible. My throat aches, my chest pains, and my eyes can barely stay open. Unfortunately, I have three tests tomorrow, and I'm done taking the easy way out.

I'm done with the excuses, and even the reasons. I'm tired of people looking at me and being proud of me for doing something I should be doing already. I want to make people proud because I've done something extraordinary. I want to make a mark on this world...academically, socially, politically.

Maybe I'm selfish, but I want to go far in this world. I don't want fame, but a sense of immortality created by those who knew me. And I'm wanting the world to know me.

So world, my challenge to you is to be amazing. Go above and beyond. Distinguish yourself. Do something worth remembering, whatever that may be. Don't run yourself dry, but never, never, never stop running because even if you don't make it to the finish line, someone else will be there to claim the prize.

March 5, 2012

The Brilliant Dance

All my life I have found it easy to encourage, to inspire, to ignite. All my life, I have found out that for some crazy reason, I know what to say and how to say it. I know how to make people breathe and I know how to make people think. I know how to shout and how to whisper. I know how to be heard.

The past six months have been a whirlwind for me. I started college and I changed, dramatically. Honestly,  I barely know the girl who walked into Camp Hall in August. I started becoming the person I had always wanted to be. Somewhere in making my dreams come true, I abandoned the one thing that made me breathe, the one thing that made me feel. I stopped writing. And somehow not writing turned into not having passion. I stopped wanting things because I was slowly obtaining everything I had thought I wanted.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not lazy, but I am a procrastinator. And lately, I've procrastinated passion. I've been so concerned with being busy and being someone that I haven't made time to be me. Sure, life takes dedication. It takes, not only, ambition, but drive as well to achieve your dreams, but you cannot lose yourself in that.

God willing, I will be a politician one day. Politicians and college kids have a lot in common. They start off with one goal, usually idealistic, and somewhere, somehow, it all goes wrong. They say that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Say it ain't so. 

During midterms last semester, I called my brother upset because I hated my Spanish class. I hated Spanish because I was struggling at something I used to be great at. He told me that no skill that you used to have matters. No one cares that you used to know Spanish. No one cares if you used to be a good person. No one cares if you used to get good grades. They care who you are know and who you are trying to be.

No one cares that I used to be a good writer. I can't put that on my resume. I can't get into law school with an annotation that says "I swear I can write better; I just need to find myself again." No one cares what a politician enters the game as. No one cares that he or she claims to believe in something. The public barely sees their platforms, but their actions instead.

I don't want to be a face without substance. I don't want to be a politician without a stance. 

...I want to be a person of integrity, who believes, cries, and yearns for things. I want to be a passionate writer who cannot stop, who will not stop.

I want to be me. And I write.