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Growing up with two affiliated women in my house (my mom and sister) in addition to spending time with my mom's sorority sister who has been like an aunt to me, I knew there was something really special about joining a sorority. My parents met at a fraternity party while attending Centre, and my sister joined the same sorority at Centre as my mom. They talked about how their sisters positively influenced their lives and made their time at college unforgettable in all the best ways, but I also saw how happy my mom was that my sister joined her sorority.
When I started at Centre, I knew I wanted to join a sorority. As I met some pretty wonderful women on campus, I started wondering what my family would think if I took another path in joining a different organization. Would they pressure me into continuing their legacy in Greek Life? This fear quickly subsided after bringing it up with my mom and sister, and they reassured me that I shouldn't feel obligated to join their sorority or any Greek organization at all if it didn't feel right for me. They encouraged me to sign up for recruitment with an open mind to find the group of women that I felt most at home with. I also tried to keep in mind that their sorority sisters weren't at Centre anymore, and that my sorority experience would be completely unique and would probably look different than theirs. During Formal Recruitment, I was most interested in two sororities, one being my mom and sister's. On Preference Night, I was completely on the fence before visiting the houses. I felt so welcomed and wanted by both houses I went to, and I felt pretty equally about both. When I walked into the second house of the night, I walked down the stairs past all of the old composite photos. A picture of my mom caught my eye, and I realized that the women I had met in my mom's sorority made me feel as welcomed as coming home to my family. People usually ask me if my choice was easy because I was a legacy, but I think it was just as difficult as anyone else's. I chose the right sorority for me by finding the women I felt most at home with instead of relying on someone else's experience, which helped me enjoy the recruitment process more and find my own place in Centre's Greek Life. Nancy Katherine Burkey, Class of 2021 Kappa Kappa Gamma Greeneville, TN |