July 28, 2014

Shannon


Trust the System
Shannon Kelley

I've always been jealous of some of my sisters that have beautiful “Why AOII Stories”. I can tell you a million wonderful things about Alpha Omicron Pi and why I love it with all the Alpha Love in my heart today, but I never had a perfect answer to why, in that exact moment, I picked AOII.

I had a lot of reasons to go through sorority recruitment. It seemed like an easy way to find friends. I was from out of state and I didn't know anyone. I have many sorority women in my family and they encouraged me to do it. My Chicago quarter mentor was a sorority woman and she encouraged me to do it and it was damn near impossible to make friends with anyone in my classes. Conversations were like: Hi. I like your notebook. I’ve got one too. Can’t wait to fill this bad boy up…with knowledge. Conversation done. So, I paid my $35, put on the cutest sundress I had and walked myself down to sorority recruitment. Then, something happened to me. I fell completely, head-over-heels girl crush in love with the very first sorority woman I met in the very first round. She was beautiful, smartly dressed, also from California, a business major like me. She introduced me to a couple of her sisters, and they were equally gorgeous, smart and charming. This was it. Done. I didn't really pay attention to any of the other groups during recruitment; it was like I had this tunnel vision. And when I wasn't invited to that sorority’s preference round, I bawled my freaking eyes out.

If I could go back and see my eighteen year old self in that moment, I would slap myself clear across the face. I wish I had known that membership in ANY of DePaul’s sororities is an absolute gift. I wish I knew how selfish it is to be upset that you didn't get invited back to one group. It’s not all about you. It’s just the opposite; it’s about sorority. They will pick you because they need someone like you. Whether it’s your sense of humor, or your passion or your drive, they will pick you because you bring something unique and beautiful to the organization. All of the sororities are already great; we pick women of excellent character to make our sisterhoods even stronger. I truly believe that if you have faith and trust the system, you will end up where you are meant to be. I think I was chosen because of my desire to lead; eventually they chose me again to serve as Chapter President. And it has been the most rewarding experience I've had in college.

I think it takes everyone a few years to develop a deep connection with their sorority. Our ritual taught me that you won’t understand completely what Alpha Omicron Pi means overnight. It is an experience unique to every individual, but you only understand it a little more every day. One of my favorite quotes is that “Life isn’t about finding yourself, it’s about creating yourself”. I think the same is true about sisterhood. You don’t just find your best friends. Bid Day. Poof. Instant BFF’s for life. No, that’s not real. You build relationships over time and create your own experience by practicing the values every day.

Our ritual challenges you to be a lot of things. Charitable. Kind. Responsible. Accountable. Authentic.  Loyal. Honest. Confident. Poised. Committed.  If you really think about it, sometimes it’s hard to wake up every single day and be excellent at all of those things; we’re only human after all. But if I’ve learned anything in college it’s that the most important choice you make is to surround yourself with positive people who share your values and challenge you to be a better person. I think that’s the main reason I stay committed to Alpha Omicron Pi. It’s the best support system there is for me to accomplish all of the kick ass things I want to do with my life and be the very best person I can. 

July 24, 2014

Jamie





Three Years Later...
Jamie Schultz

I don't think it was until my Junior year of college that I truly understood and appreciated what it meant to be not only a member of AOII, but specifically, a member of Delta Rho. My sorority experience had been typical until then (in a good way). I made good friends. I had people to study with. I was elected to Leader's Council. My weekends were never dull. I was enjoying my time in AOII but hadn't really had my "ah ha" moment that would tie me emotionally to this organization that so many people have had before me. That was until July 15th, 2013. On that day, my life (and my family's) was turned upside down when my then fourteen year old brother was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. From that moment on, nothing in my life would be the same. I was fortunate to be able to spend that summer with my family but September finally reared it's ugly head and I had to return to school. I strongly considered transferring to a school in Southern Illinois (where I'm from) to stay close to home but at that point in my college career, transferring would have set me back two years and graduating in 2015 would no longer be possible. 

So, I went back to Chicago. The first month was miserable. I cried every day worrying about my brother, the financial state of my family, and fearing my new found responsibilities as I was completely on my own for the very first time in my life. There were so many times that I just wanted to give up and move home as that seemed to be the easiest way to end all the stress I was feeling. When it starts to feel like you versus the entire world, it's pretty hard to keep going. That being said, I can honestly say without a shadow of a doubt that the only reason I was able to stay in Chicago, the one reason I was able to stay at DePaul, the only reason I don't go insane every single day that I spend away from my family is Alpha Omicron Pi. No, it's not the socials or the chapter meetings or the t-shirts that keep me here. It's the people. It's my best friends in the entire world. It's girls who will bring me Starbucks at work because they know I'm having a rough day. It's girls who will drag me out of my bed and to the beach even though they know I'm worried sick about my brother's in patient chemo stay that's experiencing complications. It's having people to rely on when your family is five hours away and you feel like you have no one else to turn to. It's having a family away from family and a place to call home whenever you need it.

Alpha Omicron Pi has grown to mean more to me than any single other group of people I've ever chosen to become a part of in my life. Though I'm not best friends with every single woman in my chapter, I am blessed to belong to a group of incredibly driven, incredibly intelligent, and incredibly funny women who make me want to be a better person for them every single day. The women I call my best friends in my chapter are people who I know will be there for me every day, no matter what kind of mood I'm in, and for that I am incredibly thankful. Delta Rho has evolved into this amazing team of people who push each other to succeed every single day but also to laugh at the silly mistakes we make as twenty-somethings in the city and have fun in college while it lasts. I feel confident saying that my time at DePaul would have been terrible without these women in my life. 

As my time as a collegiate member comes to an end, I am constantly reflecting upon the time I've spent as a member of Delta Rho and the women I might leave behind when I move back home when my time as an undergraduate is over. The thought of saying goodbye to my girls makes me absolutely sick to my stomach. In fact, there are some times when I'm just sitting with my little Jill at Chipotle, or forcing Rachel to chauffeur me to Target, or obsessing over Lana Del Rey with Evie, or making fun of my roommate Ogechi (because she makes it too easy) that I get the sudden urge to just hug and thank them all for what they've given me over the past three years. AOII has made me a better person, and a better woman. I sincerely cannot wait to greet the women who will join us in September and show them exactly what I've found in AOII: a home.

July 21, 2014

Katie

Finding a Home
Katie Watt

When I was a Junior in high school, I had my college career mapped out before most kids even thought about college visits. I didn't have to worry about college applications because there was only one college I would be applying to, and I knew I would get in. All I had to do was wait for the day that I got to move into my dorm with my future best friends, and embark on the best four years of our lives together. 


I was on a soccer scholarship at a Division 1 school, something I had worked my whole life for and was beyond excited to develop as a player and enjoy college life. Everything was exactly that until I received news of a death in my family. Things began to spiral downwards after that. My teammates who were supposed to be there for me weren't, my coach was less than understanding, and for the first time in my life I was surrounded by people but never felt more alone. I ended up not returning to the school after winter break and decided to look for a new school to start over. 

This last year has been more than just something I can describe in words. My freshman and sophomore years don't even matter anymore because the one year that I have had as a part of AOII has reshaped my entire college experience. The women of AOII are some of those most genuine and caring people I have ever had the pleasure of being friends with. I know that they would do anything for me and in turn I would do anything for them. AOII has given me the chance to meet remarkable women, get more involved on campus, and has helped me rediscover myself. I love to tell people about my college experience because it seemed that things just wouldn't go right for me, but it just took that one bid. It saddens me that I only have a year left at DePaul, but AOII is something I will never graduate from because it’s not just for four years (or in my case two) it’s for life.


I went on a visit to DePaul and fell in love with the school and the city around it. I made my decision to come here starting in the fall of 2012 and was looking forward to starting over. My friends from home who were in sororities asked if I was going to rush once I got there. My impression of sororities was of what I had seen at my last school...and well let’s just say that the athletes and the sorority girls didn't mix. In the end I decided that it couldn’t hurt and rushed that fall. With the grades that I transferred to DePaul with, I barely met the sororities’ GPA expectations. I ended up not getting a bid from anyone and still felt as though I had not found a home in my college experience yet. 

Fast forward to fall 2013. My first year at DePaul was fine. I worked hard and got great grades and made a few friends here and there but really didn't feel connected to the school as I had when I was a student athlete. I decided to rush again without telling anyone in case it didn't work out. When I first was going through it I kept thinking about how over the whole thing I was and I was surrounded by freshman and I was way too old for this. That was until two girls I met in the AOII room. Jamie and I bonded over our families and their health issues and Sarah and I bonded over our obsession with sports. When I saw Jamie holding a panda with my name on it on bid day and I ran into her arms, I finally felt at home.

July 16, 2014

Jordan


Why AOII
Jordan Maijala


There was no part of me that wanted to go through Panhellenic Recruitment at DePaul last fall. I had just transferred from being a dance major at a big state school to totally flipping my life around concentrating on business in the city. Joining a sorority was the last thing I wanted and to be honest, I wasn't sure that the lifestyle was for me throughout most of the recruitment process. 

Being a transfer student is hard and lonely. DePaul is a big commuter school and it can be difficult to make friends if you don't have a reason to spend time on campus. After a few weeks of school, I felt like I really missed being a part of an organization. I didn't have anything that was tying me to my new school and I knew that I needed to change that. Recruitment seemed like the most obvious option and after one night of dressing up and talking to girls from each chapter, I knew I made the right choice. I was looking for a strong group of friends that would bring out the best in me, and I knew I would find that group in one of these chapters.

As the week went on, narrowing the decision was hard. My grandma had been an AOII and I had a few great conversations with one of the girls, Rachel, so I decided to go with my first thought and try to be an AOII. After receiving my bid and running home, I was still feeling unsure of my decision. It is hard to see yourself being best friends with a bunch of girls you just met, but after some serious convincing from my new member educator, Jamie, and my now big who I wish I could name but she will be disaffiliated for recruitment, I realized that AOII was exactly what I needed and that I had finally found my home at DePaul.

All I can say about AOII is how great these girls are. I now know that I could not be more sure of the decision I made. I have sisters who can complement each part of me and bring out things I didn’t know I had. I've definitely found my best friends at DePaul which was something I wasn't sure would happen so easily. I know why I chose AOII, but why I stayed was so much greater. I’ve found myself, an amazing group of sisters, a home, and a set of Greek letters I will always be proud to show.

July 14, 2014

Erin



Sorority Life Misconceptions.
Written by Erin Donovan (pictured above)

September is coming. We all hear it. “Go Greek!” or “Go Panhel!” etc. etc. I was annoyed. I had just moved to Chicago and was enjoying my new independence as an eighteen-year-old who lived 300 miles away from home. I had joined organizations on campus and had met some great people in my dorm. Like most people, when I thought of sororities I thought of materialistic and absent-minded girls who only cared about brands, boys, and partying. Sure those things can be great, but I was not interested in being another pretty face in a crowd of matching t-shirts.

I don’t really know the exact reason why I decided to go through recruitment, but I think it’s because I wanted to see what the fuss was all about. So for a week, I dressed up and met with a bunch of girls in beautifully decorated rooms with Greek letters everywhere. At first, I was nervous because I had to meet with girls I did not know at all. The first time I met my sisters I had the worst preconceptions and did not give them a chance. I found my way to a seat with a girl named Katryna and we got talking. After 20 minutes, I was surprised when I was told we had to leave. I did not want to go. I wanted to keep talking to the girls I had just met. They weren't anything like the sorority girls from the movies or TV shows I watched. I should have known better. But, I didn’t. I was too focused on thinking I knew who these girls were before I even met them. I immediately put myself above them and thought I was “too good” for a sorority before I even heard what they said.

After I ran home to AOII on bid day I could not have been happier. Not only do I share the same values as my sisters in AOII, but I can completely be myself. I have never felt pressured to act or dress a certain way that makes me uncomfortable. I have helped my sisters raise money for the Arthritis Foundation and attended numerous philanthropy events around campus. I am disappointed that so many people have bad perceptions of sorority women because they are some of the most genuine people I know. Even though we may be wearing matching t-shirts at our philanthropy events, we are individuals in our own right. I am proud to be in Alpha Omicron Pi and every day I am glad that I went through recruitment and left my poor judgment behind. The women I met in recruitment are not just my friends, they are my sisters. 

TEN WEEKS


We've officially reached the Ten Week Mark!

We are officially ten weeks away from recruitment. This time of year is by far the most exciting for all chapters on campus. There is nothing better than welcoming new women into your sisterhood and sharing with them the bond that so many have had before you. In AOII, it's hard to describe the excitement we feel when we welcome home new sisters. Each and every member of our chapter has her own unique reason for joining and more importantly, her own unique reason for staying. That being said, we would like to share with you the stories of our sisters and help you understand why they have chosen to be a member of our organization and why it means so much to them. AOII is not just for four years, it is a lifetime of friendship, service, and love. We hope that you will consider registering for recruitment and that you will find your home in one of the eight amazing chapters on DePaul's campus because we can say without a shadow of a doubt, it will be the best decision you make while at DePaul!