What are my values?

"The choices we make and the lives we lead, are driven by the values we hold."

I am a firm believer that a person's values are developed throughout the years of our lives. It has taken me several years to understand what my values are and what is important to me. And even now, I still am not positive what and why my values are what they are. But here's what I've come up with at the moment...

One of the values that I am positive of is my faith. Having attended Catholic schools my entire life, faith is my foundation to getting through all the tough times. I am beyond grateful and fortunate that my parents made the decision to send me to Catholic schools. At the time, I didn't understand the benefit, but looking back on it it has made me the person I am today. I am not going to go all "private school" and say I got a better education, or deny that there is such thing as the stereotypical "catholic school girl" (however  I am proud to say I was not one). But it definitely had its perks. It was nice to all be equal in uniform. There was no competition for best dressed or who had on the best makeup that day. Although there were AP classes in the cirriculum, all the other classes were just as demanding. Most importantly, we were required to do service. While some may see this as a hassle, I always looked forward to it. I  enjoy helping others and giving back to others for the experiences I was receiving. Although I am not a strict Catholic, but I love attending mass because it gives me time to just think about what I've done that past week, and what I want to change for the next. As I've stated in previous blog posts, I believe that everything happens for a reason. As I saw in one of my friend's facebook info's "My ultimate goal is to make it to heaven and I believe that even though I don't base my entire life around my religion, God still loves me."

Friendship is also important to me. I am a people person. I have the need to be around other people and interact. I love making new friends. While browsing through the Delta Zeta website, I came across a few quotes that spoke to me. "In order to be a friend, spend less time trying to be interesting; be more interested in your friends". I really feel that in order to be the best friend you can be, you have to put others before you. It will pay off. "Some people may do things to get attention. Some give attention to the little things, even when no one is looking."

People say they have a big family. This usually means they have lots of relatives. I feel there is a difference between family and relatives. Usually, I would consider someone a family member if you know them on a more personal level. Someone who is your third cousin once removed that lives in Georgia and you  maybe see every other year, if that, is a relative. I have a large family. My freshmen year in high school, I was somehow related to 32 people out of just under 700 students. My cousin almost went to homecoming with someone she quickly found out was a fourth cousin. I just took the time to go through my facebook friends, as embarrassing as it is, and this is what I came up with. I have 67 family members currently on facebook (I was surprised to discover that some have recently deleted theirs?). 15 out of 67 live out of town, by "out of town," 5 live in a different state and the other 10 live within an hour of Columbus. 27 of the 67 I see at every major holiday and all of our birthday celebrations, so basically almost once a month. 54 out of the 67 family members on facebook, I see 3-6 times a year. While a lot of them are my generation or close in age and are away at college, our attendence rates have started to fluctuate and aren't as consistant as they would have been 2-4 years ago. None the less, all of the relatives I counted, I am either first or second cousins, or first cousins once removed. Nothing more distant than that.

While some of my values were briefly described and others were more in depth, there are more values that fall underneath/ within each of the categories. The values above are things that are important to me. Things that I value close. There are also values that I choose to live by. 

• I try to be passionate about everything that I do. "Go big or go home." Put my all into it.
• I try to be strong. I am a girl. I am super sensitive. But I cannot let these stop me from doing what I want.
• I want to be truthful. True to myself, to others, to how I live my life.
• I try to be accepting and adaptable. Although I don't deal well with it, I try to always be open to change or even the idea of it.
• I am a maximizer. I always make it a goal to maximize my options.
• I always look for the positive aspects in a thing, person, or situation. I am a glass half full person.
• I am humble. I am giving. Although I respect myself a lot, I will put others first.

Writing this blog was one of the most difficult things to do. As I sat down to blog, I decided to make a list of my values. It was a over 20 topics long. Picking out my top values was obvious. Deciding why those were my top was more difficult. How I go about living each day was the hardest part. It made me realize that I do not always follow those values and made me think that maybe I should change or add new ones. I am making it a goal to make faith, education, service, friendship, and family my core values and applying passion, strength, truth, acceptance, adaptation, maximization, positivity, humbleness, and giving of myself to each of them.

Who is a sister?

Over spring break, I was at home talking to one of my younger sisters. She's a junior in high school and starting the college hunt. She already has an idea fer a major, so she's looking at the few schools close by that have that program or who knows, she may just decide to become a Buckeye for her undergrad. I was talking with her about what she wanted in a school, programs, location, and size. She seemed pretty flexible with her preferences saying she could give a little of some to have more of another. However, there was one thing she was sure of. Greek life. She is insisting on being part of a sorority. I never thought I would be in one, I never thought I was "preppy" enough, but she's even less than I am. I was kind of shocked. Had she been living my New Member period through me all of last quarter? Did seeing how important my Delta Zeta sisters mean to me convince her to be a part of something so special?

The whole 20 minutes back to campus with my dad were silent. I just sat there, thinking. Although I only see my sisters a couple times a month, if that, are my experiences away from home still impacting? She is one of my best friends and even though we're not as close when I'm at school, whenever I'm home, we're closer than ever. Our bond continues to grow everyday. While she is growing up and getting ready to move on to the next step in her life, I am growing too. I have learned how important people are. I have discovered the significance of my sisters, whether it be my two at home, or my sorority sisters here at OSU. 

When you have a large group of friends who are not in Greek life, there will be some judging. It makes it difficult to stick with it and not want to go back to how things were before, especially when you're like me and don't deal well with change. Over winter break, my sisters and I would still get on each others nerves. After a few weeks into my new member period, that changed. I started to realize the significance of my sisters and how important sisterhood meant to me; so much more than the judgmental opinions of those who I thought were my friends. Being a sorority sister has helped me to be a better friend to my biological sisters. 

I called my youngest sister, age 12, yesterday as I was walking home from the house. She makes sure to let me know almost everyday how much she misses me. If I don't see one of my DZ sisters for a few days, I'll send them a text saying I miss them, or I'll post on their facebook. Why can't I do the same to the sisters I'm actually related to? They have seen me struggle through so much more. Sure they have not come out on weekends with me or enjoyed late night Cane's trips, but we played with our babydolls together and swung on the swingset in the summertime. They attended almost every gymnastics meet I ever competed in, all of my volleyball, softball and basketball games, and every single one of my long, hot late summer tennis matches. They were there for me through it all. Being away from home doesn't mean I'm moving on to bigger and better things. Well maybe bigger, but they're still the most important. Just because I have more sisters at school,  doesn't mean that my sister's at home are not as special to me. They should be more. They will be more. I make that promise to them.

My very first blog post. Ever!

This is me.

Well, as I answered time after time during recruitment, I am a sophomore. As for my major, I am currently listed through the university as a BA in Visual Communications Design but am in the process of switching over to a BFA in Arts and Technology. I do not have a favorite movie. I'll watch pretty much any television show. I listen to all kinds of music. These some of the most basic facts anyone could answer about themselves...  I am from Columbus. Born and raised a buckeye and I've been attending Ohio State football games for as long as I can remember. I am Italian. My family and puppy mean the world to me and my 2 younger sisters are my best friends. I am sensitive and shy, but once you get to know me and I get to know you, you'll find I have a wild side. I hate being alone and like any other college student, I love to sleep. I believe that everything happens for a reason. All in all, I'm a pretty average 20 year old.

I'm a sorority girl? Whaaat?

Being from Gahanna, I live than 5 minutes from New Albany. Having Columbus Academy just up the street from my house and having both Columbus School for Girls  and St. Charles school for boys a few miles from my high school, I am well accustomed to being around overly preppy people. A lot of them were stuck up and thought they were so much better than everyone else. I attended a branch campus last year so I knew nothing about Greek life. I just knew that the people I expected to go Greek, did. My mom was in Greek life here at OSU so she was always trying to get me to just keep an open mind, but never pressured me. When I got to Columbus, my mom encouraged my to just check out Greek life. I considered informal recruitment in the fall, but I was too busy trying to meet people in my dorm and get involved in other organizations so I decided I would wait until formal. Once formal came, I started to get cold feet. Was this really for me? Was I cut out to be a sorority girl? Was I one of them!? None of my friends here were greek, nor did they even consider it, but I felt as though there was something missing from my college experience. Over winter break, my mom brought up formal recruitment and suggested that I at least sign up and go to the first round or two.  I reluctantly agreed.

I went through Union Round with the several hundred other girls and continued to the next round. I didn't get invited back to any of the sororities I wanted. However, little did I know, I didn't actually know that what I thought I wanted, wasn't what was right for me. I only got invited back to 3 of 14 houses out of a  max of 10. I decided to make the best of the situation, visited those 3 chapters and immediately fell in love with Delta Zeta Sorority. It was a long shot that out of the three that had some interest, that the one I loved would love me back. After one of the most stressful weeks this year, I made a life changing decision to go through preference round and rank Delta Zeta as my number one choice with one other as a back up. If I didn't get Delta Zeta, I knew there would be a reason why. There is a reason for everything. But I got a bid, and life as I knew it changed instantly. I went from having 2 sisters and a bunch of friends, to having a bunch of friends and just as many sisters. All of my friends that I had made before sorority recruitment joked around and teased me that I was going to become the stereotypical sorority girl. They would leave for dinner without me, assuming I was with my sorority sisters and not include me on weekend plans. After a few weeks, I decided to stand up against their opinions of me going Greek. I put together a quote on a half sheet of paper and taped it to the doors of my three closest friends in my dorm. This is what it said...

I’ve heard it said a sorority
Is a waste of time; but I know better…
For I have seen the love and walked
In the splendor of sisterhood…
I’ve heard it said that a sorority
Is sad; I can’t agree…
I’ve heard it said that a sorority
Is a dull, selfish place; It can’t be true…
I’ve seen the affection, watched it
Fill my heart, the very air…
And I have learned the Creed
Polished and spotless from end to end
And I’ve watched the sorority’s
Devotion drape each and every active
And pledge to look like nature’s
Freshly-granted love nourished for growth…
I’ve heard it said that a sorority is
Harmful, but they are wrong…
For I know my sisters…watched them
Strive to save a cause, spend of themselves…
And I’ve watched them hope, dream,
And aspire, side by side…
I’ve heard them say these things,
But I would disagree…
Because for every shadow I have
Seen a hundred rays of light…
For every plaintive note I’ve
Heard the symphony of joy…
For every penny-weight of bad,
I’ve found a ton of good…
Good in nature, in people, in my sorority…
I’m thankful I belong.

Their opinions changed. They apologized for calling me out. They became my biggest supporters. They made me realize that although Greek life might not be for everyone, it was the place for me.

What the heck is a blogabus!? And how do I  feel about it?

I was so nervous to take this class. I didn't have any idea what it would be about and how it would benefit me. When I told me mom I was thinking about taking a Greek Life class, she freaked out. Why did I need to learn more about other fraternities and sororities? Is that what I was paying to go to college for? After I read the blogabus, I sent it to her. I had her watch the videos. My mom is pretty up to date with technology; she has a blackberry, she has a facebook (which she rarely interacts with me on, more recently I have been lucky enough to witness her reconnect with her sorority sisters whom she had lost touch with) and she knows how to use an iPod. She immediately agreed with me that this class would be beneficial in helping me to make my mark on the world. Well, maybe not the world, but by using the skills in the class, and the help of my fellow Greek classmates, unite in doing something that will make a change.