First we were students, and then we became sorority women. Being a student is the single, overarching requirement that precedes sorority membership. Students wanting more out of their collegiate years than tests and textbooks created the basis for joining any student organization, and sororities offer an opportunity unlike any other organization on college campuses.

It is this student-first mentality that has allowed sororities to even exist, dating back to their beginnings when women were not welcome at most universities. Now our chapters thrive in a time when the majority of college students are women. Sororities provide female students with an opportunity to connect with other women, to find their niche in a sea of students and to challenge themselves and their peers to do and be better. I know sorority membership has made me better.

I speak on behalf of my entire council in saying that our specific organizations have helped us become the women we are today, and showed us how to be people who can lead our community as officers on the Panhellenic Council. This is our hope for all members of our community, to be challenged in ways they never thought were possible.

I’ll admit that sororities sometimes fall short of this aim; just as any large student organization can struggle to always adhere to their mission. That doesn’t mean, however, that sororities have lost their value. It means we get to create a new kind of sorority; the kind of sorority that values every kind of woman, even those who don’t think sorority membership is for them. The Panhellenic Council is committed to motivating change in a positive direction, we will no longer perpetuate the existing stereotypes of our chapters, but instead we will encourage our community to reach for a higher standard we can, and should, uphold.

The I Am Campaign began this spring to help our women do exactly this. We want to start a conversation about who our members are as people, not as sorority women, because, in the simplest terms, our community is made up of incredible women and students who chose sorority. Our council wants to celebrate the individuality of every member. Each month we will continue to spotlight a different element of university life and members who embody it, and challenge each chapter to do the same. By promoting the contributions of each individual, we can remind ourselves and others of our purpose; to be better than we were before we joined and to be better still after we leave.

We are so much more than the letters that are displayed on our clothing. We are Med School students, rugby players, tutors, Crimson Girls, ASWSU officers, and more. We are passionate, empowered and part of a generation of women that will make change. This is the new stereotype for our organizations, organizations we are proud to represent, and full of women we are proud to call sisters. This is what Washington State University Sorority life is all about. I am so proud of my council and the opportunity I have to represent a community with so much potential. We are so excited to be back in Pullman and see the lasting effect this campaign can have on our campus, bring on the fall semester 2015!