"If I paid for my friends, I surely did not pay enough."

This morning as I was drying my hair, I took a nice long look at a picture hanging on my wall. It's a picture from freshman year of three girls from my hall and me. We're standing in the middle of Clark holding our Delta Zeta bid cards. This picture is from 2008, which makes me feel real old because it feels so long ago and we all look so young, but this is not what I reflect on. I reflect on how happy I was and still am to be a Delta Zeta.

There are so many reasons why I love Delta Zeta, but I will sum them up into three main ones.

1. Delta Zeta is nurturing. My sisters are some of the most supportive people I can imagine having in my life. I'm am extremely involved across campus (and even won Most Involved last year at DZ formals!) so staying active in things as well as Delta Zeta is important. I cannot tell you how many times I've come to my sisterhood with an idea for our chapter or an event I was hosting in another organization on campus and how my sisters would take my idea and run with it or come to my event just for me. Sisters genuinely care about your success and will help you reach your potential.

2. Delta Zeta is different. Different is not always bad. What I mean here is that Delta Zetas are all different young women, with very unique personalities, backgrounds and life goals. But we are all so similar as well. I can pick any of my 70-some sisters to hang out with or talk to and never have a dull time. How a group of this many girls gets along blows my mind.

3. Delta Zeta is home. Side note: I have a biological sister who is one of the most amazing people I know and will forever be my best friend. I also am very close with my family and could not imagine growing up anywhere besides Cleveland. This is my home. But when I came to Ohio Northern University and arrived at the Delta Zeta house I was home again. Living in the chapter house for two years and spending most of my time just being with sisters is the most comforting thing I've found at ONU. Even as a senior living off campus, I still chose to live with five amazing Delta Zetas. It's hard to put into words how this sisterhood makes me feel, but they make me feel safe, warm and loved just as a real sister does. It's remarkable.

I'm so excited for this weekend because recruitment will be ending and twenty-some girls will be able to join us and experience Delta Zeta just as I have!

For all my Delta Zetas reading this, I love you all.