"The great thing about recruitment and Greek life in general is that, even though in the end you are placed into a single house, you still get to meet so many amazing people along the way and are able to make connections with so many bright and unique individuals across the row! "
Hey PNMs! My name is Alessia and I am a sophomore majoring in Biology from Long Island, New York! When I received my acceptance from UCLA I was more excited than you could ever imagine. UCLA had been my dream school for as long I could remember, and I had always known I wanted to move out to Los Angeles. Despite my happiness, I was also nervous as this meant moving across the country, and consequently being so far from my friends and family. I decided to rush because I came to school knowing nobody, and taking into consideration UCLA’s large undergraduate population, I thought that this would be a fun and easy opportunity for me to meet new people. I never expected that recruitment would give me the incredible group of girls that I now call sisters.
Looking back, ADPi was my home before I even knew it. When my new student advisor Mattea, now one of my closest friends, told me during freshman orientation that she was in ADPi, I didn’t really think much of it. I had noticed all of the ADPi themed canvases on her wall and stickers on her laptop, which only amplified my feelings of excitement for recruitment. A month later, I was laying on a beach in Hawaii when I met another UCLA ADPi, Bella, who’s now my talented and hilarious big. And, during recruitment, when I told my Rho Gamma that I wanted to “find a sorority full of Graces,” I had no idea that she would reveal herself as an ADPi on Bid Day.
Rush was an incredible experience that I feel so lucky to have gone through! The great thing about recruitment and Greek life in general is that, even though in the end you are placed into a single house, you still get to meet so many amazing people along the way and are able to make connections with so many bright and unique individuals across the row! I met my best friend because we were in the same Rho Gamma group and I am still close with many of the girls I met in between parties, even though we are all in different houses. While rush was both long and challenging, I definitely think that it made me a more confident and outgoing person as I was able to hold conversations with so many different girls throughout the week. And, despite my fear that I wouldn’t find my fit, I ended up exactly where I belong.
ADPi has not only given me some of my best friends, but also an environment where I can have fun and be myself. For me, the most important quality that a chapter can have is genuineness. I am so lucky that I found girls who both support and encourage me. The feeling that I get when I walk into the TV room and see my sisters having an H20 marathon, or arrive at Friday brunch and get to sit with my friends while eating Chef Emma’s amazing food is an indescribable feeling of happiness. ADPi has given me the opportunity to learn and grow as a person, not only because of the wonderful and strong bonds I have made with my sisters, but also through all of the leadership opportunities our chapter has given us.
I know that recruitment may seem intimidating, but once you begin the process you will see how much fun it actually is! I truly hope that all of you find your homes and can experience that same overwhelming feeling of happiness when you walk through the front door! Remember to keep positive and roll with the punches; I can’t wait to meet you all in September!