Dear PNMs

Recruitment is finally here!!

If you’re a PNM reading this, you are in the right place. I’ve been in your shoes and although my recruitment process looked different than the way yours will look, it doesn't mean it will be any less special or exciting. No year of recruitment is perfect. When I was a freshman, it was Fall 2017, and Hurricane Harvey had hit Texas. Many girls going through recruitment had family or friends affected by this, and it made them finding a home in Austin with friends to lean on that much more special. I remember running down the street of west campus in the pouring rain with heels on trying to make it to my next party; it was far from graceful. The silver linings of the situation this year are that you will not have to be in the three digit Texas heat, you will not lose your voice yelling inside a house so that the girl you are talking to can hear you, you will NOT have to run through west campus in a hurricane to make it to your next party. It is okay to be sad about the things that are different or that you feel like you are “losing”, but this letter to you is about hope.

Getting to read all of your resumes and watch your video submissions has been the reason I had hope this summer. As I enter my senior year this fall, being head of recruitment, I have been truly sad about the state of the world and that my last year at the University of Texas will not look like how I imagined, just how your first year at UT is different than you imagined. I would be lying to you if I said that this huge change was not hard on me. I was expecting door chants, sisterhood dances, and a swarm of new women running home on bid day. Through this pain and disappointment, all of you have brought me hope and happiness. To see all of the new potential arriving at UT, it makes me not only hopeful for our university but for Delta Gamma and Greek life as a whole. The perseverance and adversity that you all have for going through recruitment even though it might feel really scary and uncertain to find your “home away from home” through virtual video calls. Although I’ve felt a lot of disappointment this year, you all are the reason I am still filled with excitement. You are brave, you are strong, and you give me hope. Member Class of 2020 will be nothing short of resilient. I am so anxious to meet you, chat with you, and to show you the amazing Texas Delta Gamma chapter.