Looking beyond the cup

I'm an only child. Not only that, I'm the youngest of all my cousins. And the real kicker? I'm the only girl.

All my life I have struggled to be able to form strong bonds and healthy relationships with females. Do I blame it on the way I was raised, my family demographics, or even my personality? No. To be honest, I wouldn't feel right "blaming" anything for this struggle.

You're probably reading this thinking, "Okay, but what does it matter then?"

I promise you, it does. 

I was lucky enough to have a handful of close girl friends growing up, but only maybe two I felt truly connected to. I tried so hard to be like everyone else, to have a best friend that I could be absolutely inseparable from. "Two bodies, one soul," type friendship. But, no matter how hard I tried it was to no avail.

Maybe I wasn't meant to have a best (girl) friend in my hometown, because there's a chance I never wold have ended up where I am today. I mean, think about it. I'm from a town of 2,100. People don't just leave. They go to school at the same college, or within an hour or so, as their "best friend".

Well... No one from my high school goes to Louisville. Or within 5 hours or so, for that matter. But by coming here, I've gained some of the greatest friends, sisters, brothers, partners in crime, and supporters that any girl could ever ask for.

"You just pay for your friends." 

"All Greeks do is party." 

"Bunch o' stuck up, snooty rich kids living off Daddy's money." 

Don't worry, I've heard it all. Being Greek isn't always the best way to gain the acceptance of your non-Greek classmates, but it's more than worth the abuse we sometimes take.

I couldn't be prouder to be part of a community that accounts for the highest GPA's on campus, along with a graduation rate of over 10% higher than the rest of the university. That all but 2 of this great nation's Presidents have been a part of. That raises approximately $7 million dollars a year for charity. That sent 11 of it's own on the Apollo.

Less than 2% of a Greek's college expenses go to their dues. If I'm paying for my friends, I'm not paying nearly enough for the other amazing opportunities I've been blessed with through it all.