By: Angela Choi PC '16
When I first came to campus last fall, I was so worried about fitting in and making friends. College was a whole new playing ground, and it was one that I wasn’t sure that I was going to survive in. I felt sort of lost and scared, and a part of me felt like I was missing something. After becoming a member of the Omega chapter of Alpha Phi at The University of Texas, I realized what I had been missing all along… A group of girls that I could call not only my friends, but also my sisters. I found exactly where I was meant to be. And, well, that was home.
Many people don’t usually say this, but Mondays are definitely my favorite days. Why you ask? Well, the answer is easy. It’s because The Bachelor, a new, fresh start to the week, and chapter meetings… which means great food and time spent with even better girls. I remember my first chapter meeting and how nervous I was making the walk from my dorm to the house. Worrisome thoughts began to creep into my mind as I got closer and closer to the house. I had known a couple girls in Alpha Phi, but there were definitely more girls than just the few that I was friends with. But, once I walked in, all those thoughts disappeared, and I felt at ease.
Greek life often gets a bad rep for things that are portrayed in movies or preconceived notions that other people have. But, I can honestly say that it’s far from the truth. The first moment that I had walked through the double doors of the Alpha Phi house, I knew that it felt right. There were girls walking around laughing with each other or sitting on the couches hard at work, with their faces burrowed into their textbook. All around me, I saw so many girls that were so well-rounded and wholesome, but all in different ways. I’ve learned that you don’t have to be perfect, and you don’t have to have everything in your life figured out. And, through Alpha Phi, I have met so many girls that I can grow together with. The girls are so humble, yet confident, in exactly who they are. They each inspire me in more ways than one.
Though simple words could never be enough to truly encompass my gratitude, there are a few things I’d like to thank Alpha Phi for…
Thank you Texas Alpha Phi for showing me sisterhood—Alpha Phi has given me friends to have sleepovers with in our cramped freshman year dorm room. Because, honestly, no matter if we were to be in a box or in the biggest bed in the world, we will always have a good time. The friendships that I have made truly are genuine and real. These girls are, hands down, the best friends that I could ever ask for.
Thank you Texas Alpha Phi for making me into the best version of myself—Being an Alpha Phi at Texas gives me so many amazing girls to look up to. Girls with all different majors, girls from other states, girls with different views, and the list could go on. But, no matter where I am, or who I am with, I know that I can always find myself growing, and learning, from all the unique girls that surround me.
Thank you Texas Alpha Phi for giving me a huge support system— I know that whatever I do, I will have girls being my biggest supporters and standing beside me along whatever journey I find myself on. It could be three a.m. or two in the afternoon, and I would still be able to call my friends and vent as I find myself a little lost.
Alpha Phi has become my sweet home away from home and has given me girls that will not just be in my life for four years, but instead they will be with me for life. So, thank you Texas Alpha Phi, for giving a simple girl like me the opportunity to wear our letters with such pride and joy. I made the best decision ever, and I joined the Ivy League.