Outfit Details: sweatshirts: Letters by Alex c/o // Jacqueline’s earrings: Bauble Bar  {available in rose gold} // Jacqueline’s necklace: Kendra Scott // my earrings: I Believe in Pink Boutique // my necklace: I Believe in Pink Boutique

*With sorority recruitment right around the corner for so many colleges, I thought that this post was perfect timing!

This is such a special, sister-filled post that is giving me all the feels to get to share with you. I thought about what direction this post should take– I could have shared my argument for why I think sororities build strong, independent, and loyal leading women, or maybe my top tips for going through recruitment (pack mints, have specific anecdotes to tell about yourself, ask engaging questions, etc.). But I didn’t want this to turn into a version of my recruitment speech that I shared on the final night of recruitment a year and a half ago (partly because I would straight up start balling and partly because that speech was for a very specific audience of KATs whom I love dearly 😉 ). There are so many different, awesome ways that I could share how “sorority life” completely changed me for the better. BUT, I decided to head in a different route, and just talk about how out-of-control awesome it is that I get to be sisters (twice over!) with my first ever “Little,” my little sister, Jacqueline.

I shared this briefly before on Instagram stories, but about a year and a half ago (my senior year of college), I was the Chief Recruitment Officer (recruitment chair) of Kappa Alpha Theta at Richmond, the very same week that Jacqueline was going through recruitment at Vanderbilt. If you really know me, you know that recruitment season was my absolute favorite time of the year. There is something about getting 150 girls together, with a common love SO DEEP, and building an entire week off of positive energy, story telling, and meaningful, heartfelt connections, and then crying, welcoming, and including dozens more into our group at the end of it. I was so very honored to get to help lead what ended up being one of the most FUN and best weeks of my life (see my recruitment partner in crime & I with our new member class here) .

And as it turned out (funny how God ALWAYS has a plan and surprises you in all the best ways), Jacqueline was going through recruitment at Vanderbilt as a freshman, the same exact week that I was running it as a senior at Richmond. Jacqueline ended up between the very two sororities I was left with when I went through recruitment as a freshman (though I was at Richmond and her at Vanderbilt). My whole sorority at Richmond was in on the fact that Jacqueline was rushing at Vanderbilt that same week, and because she had visited a bunch before, they had gotten to know and love her. After Preference Night, my sorority all gathered ourselves into an all-purpose room and *behaved ourselves* while celebrating being done with the week. Jacqueline Facetimed me and we plugged my phone into the projector in the room and over the huge drop-down screen, she told my entire sorority at Richmond that she had just chosen Theta at Vanderbilt. 😉 Safe to say that we used what what left of our voices to shriek. (I’ll share this video on Insta stories!)

I believe that sororities have the opportunity to turn you into the best version of yourself. Learning how to have sisters, instead of best friends, has the ability to transcend all the petty stuff that comes along with being a girl. When you realize that you’re all on the same level and playing field (you all made it to college, you all found the same “home” on campus, you are all pursuing some kind of academic career), you can really take a breath and start enjoying each other’s company and opinions and life views.  Heck, I just booked an impromptu trip to Mexico in two months with four of my sorority sisters. They can do that to you– bring out the crazy and then not judge you for it. I’m so thankful every day for mine– and that I get to share this crazy wonderful bond with Jacqueline as well. She is, without a doubt, made to be a Kappa Alpha Theta leading woman.

I surprised her with matching Letters by Alex sweatshirts a few weeks ago (but with our different colleges on them!) and she was so cute when she realized that we had matching ones. Like, I could tell that she was embarrassed that of course I was going to make us take pictures in them ha, but also at the same time she low key loooved it. 🙂 We’re both wearing size smalls, so they run a little bigger and are cozier. Her’s is the color “blue jean” and mine is “watermelon!” I couldn’t recommend them more for gifts for your Little, best friends, roommate, etc. Honestly, you should put in an order for your whole sorority! They’re SO good and Alex can customize them for you pretty much however you’d like. In this case, I just let her know to include our schools on them undernieth the “Theta!”

This post ended up being a lot longer than I expected, but once you get me started on this topic, I just gush and gush like a sad post-grad who misses those *golden* days. And maybe I am… or maybe I’m just really looking forward to the Philly Theta Happy Hour I have coming up next month. 😉 Luckily, you get to be a part of your sorority for life. xx

Much love to Letters by Alex for sponsoring this post & thank you for supporting the brands that support I Believe in Pink!