Experience the "rush"

Experience the "Rush"

Coming to Appalachian State, I knew essentially no one. Back home in Aiken, South Carolina, I had always been in a tight knit group of friends. As college approached we all started to look different directions to suit our different interests and I was the lone Hornet adventuring to Boone. With my family's support, I decided I was going to rush.

The first meeting for girls interested in rushing finally fell upon us and as I walked into the room, I could feel the nerves rushing around the room. The Panhellinic Council soon addressed the some five hundred girls sitting in the room and gave general information about the sororities. After the meeting, we met up with our Rho Gamma (or "mom" as ours liked to be called) for the week. The girls and I had the instant connection of pure fright and anxiety for the week and I knew in this small group of girls, I would make great friends, and maybe even sisters.

Sunday finally fell upon us, and we were greeted with nine hours of parties and visits to each sorority. The second I stepped into my first party, Chi-Omega, I felt the energy and love that the girls all felt for each other and even the strange, and slightly terrified, new girls walking through their doors. The room was quickly filled with conversation and it became hard to hear, luckily I had the guidance and support of Bonnie, the first sister I met. Bonnie and I had a great connection from the get-go, but our time ended soon before I met with Mollie, another sister. The 45 minutes in that party flew by, and I was left for the rest of the day (and the following week) thinking about the sweet and special girls I had met in Chi-Omega.

The next Friday, I was filled with nerves and the unsure feeling of not being invited back to Chi-O. Sure enough, when I got my paper, Chi-O was the first name on my list and I was immediately filled with joy. Friday was the Philanthropy round of rush and when I walked into Chi-O's room and saw the familiar blue and silver of the Make A Wish Foundation, my heart was filled with pure joy. As we sat and made our cards for the kids in the Make-A-Wish Foundations, I found myself in the most genuine conversation I had all with Sarah Jo, a sophomore Chi Omega. As I left, I knew that Chi-Omega was the place for me, I had just hope the sisters had felt the same.

Sunday morning, as I stood outside the doors of my last Chi-Omega party before I made my bid, I felt no nerves because I knew Chi-Omega was the place for me. During the ceremony, as I was escorted to my seat by Mollie, who I had met earlier that week, we found a penny on heads. Mollie promised me that if I were to see her again, she would have that penny and we knew it would be luck. Later that night, as I opened my envelope along with about four hundred other girls and saw that cardinal and straw outlining, I knew that penny had been lucky. Once I arrived