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.