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In the beginning of my freshman year I went through sorority recruitment. Recruitment made me nervous, yet so excited. I went to an all-girls high school so I was looking for my girl group to mimic those years. I remember going into my first party and how nervous I was. Would I leave a good impression? Is this my future home? All these questions swimming through my mind and when I got in there all the fears disappeared. The girls kept the conversation rolling and made things feel so natural. After the first day, I was nervous to find out my friends and I had clicked with different sororities more than others. What would happen if we joined different sororities and drifted apart? Recruitment was within the first month of school and I was worried I was going to lose the new friends I had just made, but I wanted to make this experience about myself and finding where I belong. Going through each day had its ups and downs, but ultimately I found exactly where I was meant to be. Bid day was one of the most memorable days because I ran home to the place I would meet my future best friends. Recruitment can be stressful, but it was one of the most rewarding experiences I have been through. To help ease any stress you have, I came up with some advice: 1. Always be yourself! 2. Do not worry about where your friends are going – I promise you will still be friends even if you’re in different sororities 3. Trust the process – everyone ends up exactly where they need to be 4. Go into recruitment with an open mind/keep your options open 5. Give each sorority a chance because you might click differently with different girls in each one 6. Dress up that recruitment shirt and make yourself shine! 7. Have fun! ♥ Jordan Donze, senior 
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There are so many things that I love about being in Alpha Delta Pi, but the most meaningful part is definitely getting to give back to Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC)! I have known about this organization since I was a child, but a few years ago, I gained a new perspective and love for RMHC. Just before our freshman year of high school, my childhood best friend was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease. Fortunately, her condition was treatable, however, the closest rehabilitation center was in Kansas City - almost five hours away from our hometown. Beyond that, the length of her treatment was supposed to last at least a month. With the rehabilitation process already being logistically difficult, my friend and her family did not want to have to worry about finding and paying for a hotel near the hospital in addition to everything else. Luckily, a Ronald McDonald House was nearby and able to take in both my friend and her mom for the entirety of her treatment. From this experience onward, I’ve been incredibly thankful for the work that RMHC does across the world, especially in times of stress and uncertainty.
Since then, I knew that I wanted to give back and take the load off of families with sick children in the same way that I had seen RMHC do to my friend and her family. The opportunity to do this arose, unexpectedly, during recruitment. When I walked into ADPi’s room on Philanthropy Day and saw how committed the women in ADPi were to helping local Ronald McDonald Houses, in addition to the entire RMHC network, I knew that this was the right place for me. The only thing better than giving back to an organization that changed my best friend’s life is getting to do so with a girl gang that shares the same passion. I am so thankful to have found a sisterhood that values the wonderful good that RMHC creates as much as I do! There are certain words or phrases that apply so well to your life that they truly stay in your heart and mind. During formal recruitment, the phrase “you can come how you are and we will love you” truly hit home for me. Now let me backtrack and explain why . . . My name is Mary Tallett and I recently finished my freshman year at Saint Louis University. For me, high school was hard. I struggled with friends, with being accepted, and with even accepting myself. So naturally, going to college, it was my goal to find people who would accept me for who I am. For me, it was “on-brand” (as my friend Lo would say) or it was always a part of who I was to want to be in a sorority. So naturally, I went through formal recruitment. I met so so many wonderful women and I had so many meaningful conversations. But the one conversation that hit home for me, was a conversation I had with my current grand big, Cassidy. As I told her about my high school experience, she immediately explained that in ADPi, they do not want me to fit a mold of what an Alpha Delta Pi member should be like, but rather we mold Alpha Delta Pi in a diverse and varying landscape by being who we are. Meaning, I can come as I am, and I will not only be accepted but loved for my uniqueness. That is when I knew Alpha Delta Pi was for me. In life, no one wants to be who they are not and for me, having to show up every day in high school to be the “Mary” everyone knew was absolutely exhausting. Humans are not designed to be the same every single day. Some days we are sad, some days we are overjoyed, some days we are exhausted, and some days we are light-hearted. Humans fluctuate and it is not fair to expect someone to show up the same way every day. Hearing that Alpha Delta Pi did not expect this from me, meant the world and I knew (not to be super cheesy) that I found my home. This feeling of acceptance for the diverse person I am held true throughout the year. I experienced some amazing days, where all I would do was laugh and mess around with one of my best friends and sorority sister, Delanie. Other days, I was so engulfed in anxiety that it was hard to be that light-hearted person I was the day before and that was okay, my sisters (and best friends) would still get dinner with me and love me. They understand and accept my diverse personality and feelings, and I will accept theirs. Because at the end of the day, we are all complex and unique humans. ADPi showcases this fact and because of that, our sisterhood is full of so many beautiful, authentic, true-to-themselves, and kind women; I feel so lucky to be a part of it. ♥ Mary Tallett, sophomore  Mary (front middle) with her big Liv (right) and grand big Cassidy (left) |
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August 2019
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