Before transferring to Hofstra I thought that I would just have a normal college experience. I would go to campus for classes, see some friends, go home, and do work. In high school I didn’t join any clubs, mainly due to not having the time between honors and AP courses and working 20 hours a week. Once deciding to go to Hofstra for my sophomore year, I was determined to put myself out there, join clubs, and find my people. 

I had more of an unorthodox way of finding Greek life when compared to people who went through formal recruitment. After following the sororities on campus. Alpha Theta Beta reached out to me to come to their Fall recruitment rounds. I was not able to attend, so I joined some sisters for a dinner to just talk and get to know them. The second that I sat down with them I felt so comfortable! My first interaction with a sister was her waving hi at me as I walked into HofUSA just because she was excited to talk to me. I think that perfectly encapsulates AOB! It is a group of people who are excited to have new sisters come into the fold and help people have the best college experience they can. Each and every sister that I have met has made me feel like family, even if it is my first time meeting them. We all have the common goals of fostering feelings of sisterhood, sincerity, and cooperation; the exact feeling I had when I first met them. 

The second that I joined I knew that I had met my best friends. A large part of sorority life is getting your big and your little. For me that was no exception! My big, Rusna Dhillon, has become my biggest supporter. Someone who pushes me to be my best, and the one who made me actually run for positions after I claimed I did not want any. If it was not for her, I would have never had the confidence to run for my first positions, let alone actually running for President. My little, Gabby Gibson, came into my life and I instantly knew she would be so important to me. She has taught me how to live life to the fullest and is always there to listen to me rant and bring me back down to earth. Then I also got a twin, Caroline Fahey, who quickly became the person that I can look at across the room and both of us know exactly what the other is talking about. 2021 President, Jenn Fink, is someone that I talk to every single day, no exaggeration, and I do not know what I would do without her. Each and every sister and I have a story together that has some how brought us closer and I have AOB to thank for all of these amazing memories. Those experiences are one of my favorite things about AOB! I could get lunch with any sister that I have met and not feel awkward because everyone accepts each other exactly as we are.

After a year in the organization I was encouraged to run for Corresponding Secretary on our Executive Board. I was nervous and did not think I would be elected since I was a younger sister. However, the sisterhood put their faith in me and elected me to Executive Board 2021. Serving on this board made me appreciate all of the hard work that sisters put in, to make the org function and thrive. Even when I would pull late nights with the rest of the board figuring out how to lead AOB as we prepared to come back in person, I was still having fun because I was with my sisters. After serving the org for a year I knew that I wanted to give back all that I possibly could for the place that has changed my life for the better, and decided to run for President. Again, I did not think I would be elected, but the sisterhood put their faith in me once again and elected me President of Alpha Theta Beta. 

Being in AOB has brought me so many friendships that will go past my years at Hofstra. Every Bachelor’s night, day spent in the Pride Den, late night study sessions, and runs for ice cream before sitting and talking in a random parking lot will continually be my favorite memories from college and I can’t wait to annoy my kids by telling them these stories hundreds of times. If you are on the fence about going Greek I will tell you it was the best decision that I have made; you have nothing to lose but you can gain so much! I know that I have met my future bridesmaids, my kids godparents, and people that I plan on being 90 years old with and coming back to Hofstra to brag about “how back in our day…” and hopefully you can find this and more by going Greek. 

-Erin McKendry, AOB Undergraduate President