How Sigma Kappa Broke My Heart

Sigma Kappa broke my heart.

Those were the words I heard at my preference ceremony in 2013. “Sigma Kappa broke my heart” she said. Apparently, one day, it would break mine too. So when I heard those words second semester freshman year I did not know if I could stand any more heart breaking. I was at the brink of dropping out of school, called my parents way too often, and had trouble making friends. Homesickness took over my well being, and I was a different person from my high school self.

It was insane- jumping into a crowd of people that I barely knew, and having them automatically love me. I instantly created a close knit group of friends, who would all congregate in our tiny freshman dorm rooms on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights and have way too much fun. Unwrapping my big at big little reveal was one of the best moments of my life, and since then we’ve been inseparable. I’ll never forget that day because I was finally in a family that I could call my own. Was this real? I never thought I could find a home at TCNJ.

The days of freshman year dwindled and anxiety took over while I was packing up my small room into boxes- a room I once hated, a room that I couldn’t physically bear to be in. I was anxious that if I packed it all up, that I would pack up the feelings and experiences that I called home, and I wouldn’t get them back. Sigma Kappa saved me, and then it broke my heart on my last day of freshman year. I left TCNJ heartbroken- in the best way possible.

Sophomore and Junior year Sigma Kappa broke my heart too. My heart broke when I met families at the nursing home we volunteer at. My heart broke when I traveled to Maine and repaired a home for the most loving and deserving elderly couple. My heart broke when my chapter elected me President and having to cope with hard decisions that have come along the way. My heart broke when my grandbig and big graduated. My heart broke when my some of my sisters spoke about personal experiences with anxiety, depression, and suicide.

And now, at the start of my senior year, my heart is broken because it’s my last year with this amazing, inspirational, and motivated group of women. How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard? So if you’re questioning if you should go out for greek life, wondering if you can find a spot at TCNJ, and are battling with homesickness, just know that there’s a place for you somewhere that will break your heart, because Sigma Kappa broke mine.

Emma Brooke | Senior | Secondary English Education