Taylor Petrucci tells us #WhyTriDelta felt like home, even a thousand miles away from her own…..

A normal day in my hometown of Boston, MA includes a meal of lobster and/or clam chowder, the fandom that surrounds the Red Sox, and lots and lots of snow. While I know that my decision to come to Clemson three years ago was a risky one, my decision to join Tri Delta was anything but.

As someone who didn’t know a single soul entering college, I was so shy coming into the school year. When I joined my Pi Chi group at the beginning of recruitment, I quickly made fast friends. We bonded over our nerves about things like what clothes to wear for each round, or if we would say something strange while talking to someone. I remember hearing some girls in my group talk about how their moms were in “X” sorority, and their sisters were too, so they wanted to do the same. But for me it was different. The whole concept of a sorority was new to me. For some crazy reason, I decided that I wanted to join one of these groups that I had heard about. Back at home, the only mention of sororities came from the movies or the news. Part of me feels like my mom pushed me to recruitment as a way to make friends, since I am an out-of-state student, but regardless, I had a really good feeling about it.

On the first day of recruitment, in the very first round, when those curtains opened up and girls were chanting -- I almost cried. The whole experience was so foreign and unlike anything else that I was used to. I wanted to just quit right then and there. Luckily I didn’t and the decision to stick with it was one of the best things I ever did for myself.

The first thing I remember about Tri Delta during recruitment was my conversation with a senior at the time named Joanna. While most girls asked me about topics like my hometown, my family, and what I like to do for fun, Joanna didn’t. She and I talked about the most random things, and for the first time, I felt a real connection. This was it. That magic, authentic moment your Pi Chi talks about. Where it all falls into place for you and you get the feeling that you belong. As recruitment progressed, rounds of sisterhood and philanthropy strengthened my feelings for Tri Delta. My decision became an easy one.

I will never forget what it felt like to open my bid on the Quad that day. My heart was racing from the excitement. I was afraid I was going to cry, scream, or be sick all at the same time. I tore open my envelope as quickly as I could. While I knew which sorority name I wanted to see on my bid card, I wasn’t sure if it was going to come true. As soon as I saw the words “Delta Delta Delta” on my card, I let out a huge sigh of relief. Tri Delta wanted me too.

Running down the hill on Bowman alongside my new sorority sisters was both scary and thrilling. Yet again, I made fast friends with the girls closest to me. Running right by my side: Hanna. Little did I know, Hanna would become one of my best friends. Crazy enough, I posted an instagram that day with a random girl named Stewart. Fast forward three years later, and I can’t imagine Clemson without her. Although I didn’t realize it back then, these two girls from Houston, TX and Columbia, SC were so different from me, but my college experience would not be half as fun without them. Tri Delta has become my home away from home. It brought me best friends from Texas, Florida, New Jersey, the Carolinas, and even Tennessee. I remember being so nervous to be that weird northern girl at a southern school, but I realize now how silly that all sounds now, because my friends and I are from all over.

So, I would like to thank you Tri Delta. Thank you for my rock, Alex, and my study buddies, Audrey, Ashlea, and Emma. Thank you for my “therapist” Avery, and the 24/7 entertainment provided by Kathleen and Hanna. Thank you for giving me my role models, Porter and Caroline, my amazing roommate, Foster, and my own personal cheerleader, Stewart. These girls (and so many more) have become my home 1,000 miles away from home, and I owe it all to Tri Delta.

DLAM,

Taylor P.