Steadfast Love: My Take on Sisterhood

Many people are skeptical about the sisterhood behind every sorority, and our sisters are prepared to face those questions. As our girls begin getting ready for recruitment in the fall, it is important that we clarify exactly what being in a sorority means, the value we place on our sisterhood and how much being a member of Tri Delta has meant to us. 

In our new series, "Steadfast Love: My Take on Sisterhood", we will uncover the stories of several of our sisters that are eager to share their experiences with the rest of the world. For our first entry, Amy Cronin will reveal how her life as a twin has prepared her for the hundreds of new sisters she would find in college.

"What’s it like to be a twin? This is a question I’ve been faced with for as long as I can remember. Sure, it seems like an innocent and simple question, however it is one that I’ve always struggled with. In fact, I’m nineteen years old and I still can’t effectively communicate what it’s like to be a twin. The reason for this is simple. I can’t explain what it’s like to be a twin because I have no earthly idea what it would be like to not be a twin. My biggest blessing and my better half, I simply can’t imagine not being Kristen’s twin sister. The truth is, I’ve lived my life blissfully unaware of what it would be like to not have someone to share everything with, to do everything with, and to face everything life throws at us with; from high school heartbreak to our mom’s battle with breast cancer, we always do life together.  So to me, the better question is this... what’s it like to not have a sister?  To not have that bulletproof support system? To not have your very own “built-in” best friend? While I’ll never truly know the answers to these questions, the last six months have left me with time to think about them.

Separated by college and facing a whirlwind of change, my first year hasn’t been all together easy—naturally, I miss my sister. However, the sadness is numbed by an overwhelming sense of joy I get from seeing her truly happy, thriving, and growing into the potential I’d always known was there—something SO worth watching even from a couple hours away. And as for me I can’t complain. I love it here at USC and I’ve already made so many great memories; from new friends to football season, there’s not much I would change. And to my parents’ satisfaction, somewhere in between all the fun I’ve learned a lot too. To make it all the more worthwhile something really incredible and entirely unexpected has happened here… in the absence of my biological sister, I’ve gained nearly 400 more through Tri Delta.

But how can you really call all those girls sisters?  You can’t really know all of them. It’s like you’re paying for friends. Just as difficult as the whole twin thing, these are some of the newer questions and comments I’ve found myself faced with.

So to the skeptics and critics, those of you in doubt of the conventionality of sororities or maybe even the Greek system at large, I am certainly not here to condemn you or your beliefs. In fact, I don’t blame you. Six months ago I was you. Holding an extremely high regard for sisterhood and valuing what a sister really is, of course I didn’t expect to feel the way I do. However, I can only rely on my experience and my experience has been this: first you’re part of it, and then it becomes a part of you.  Simple as that.

How a group of mixed matched girls tied together only by letters can hammer out genuine bonds of sisterhood is still beyond me. Furthermore, a sisterhood that is fueled by respect and strung together by a mutual concern and love for one another. It really is crazy. But the truth is, I couldn’t deny it’s existence if I tried. The fact of the matter is, I see it everyday—it’s in the way there’s always someone to lend advice, a helping hand, or even just a ride. It’s the eagerness we share to help any sister in need—a broken heart or a bad night, a sister is never alone. It’s the way we constantly motivate and believe in one another. And it’s the laughter that roars through our beloved “Delta Shelta”. More than anything, I see it in the steadfast growth of perpetual friendships and memories. So although Kristen will always be my BIGGEST blessing, I can’t help but to be thankful for the blessing I have in my Tri Delta sisters."

-Amy Cronin