My Home Away From Home

Freshman year I came to TCNJ and immediately I felt homesick, lonely, and lost. I had never been away from home for long periods of time, so without my close-knit family by my side I felt incomplete. When I was fourteen years old and a freshman in high school, my mom passed away after a ten-year battle with breast cancer. I was completely devastated. It has been very difficult for me to adapt to this, even still seven years later. As a result, I became very close to my dad and younger sister who I live with at home, while my older sister was away at college. Because I was so attached to my family at home, coming to college was extremely difficult for me, especially without a mother’s guidance. I was confused and unhappy, not wanting to stay at TCNJ during the week and especially not on the weekends. I consistently begged my dad to let me come home all the time, although he encouraged me not to.

When sophomore year rolled around, I dreaded the school year. I felt frustrated that I did not fit in with the bright, lively TCNJ community that everyone seemed to brag about. Of course I had friends, but I still felt like I was not living the college experience that I so badly desired. I was almost at the point of transferring schools so I could live at home with my family, until I registered for recruitment. I hoped and hoped that a sorority would help me find my place at TCNJ and make me feel less alone. As I went through rounds, I fell in love with Sigma Kappa. Every single girl that I talked to felt so genuine and down to earth and I knew that this sorority was where I belonged and where I was meant to be.

Luckily, Sigma Kappa saw something in me too. Since the moment that I jumped off that stage on Bid Day, my life has completely changed for the better. Now, I am actually excited to come back to school because of my sisters in Sigma Kappa that are always there for me and who support me. I have grown so much as a person and feel so much more comfortable to be myself, knowing that 80+ sisters are there for me. I have gained so many lifelong friends, including my big and little, as well as my roommates to name a few. Most importantly, I finally found my home at TCNJ. As I reflect upon my experience, it is amazing to realize that school; something I once dreaded going to, is now something that I am dreading to complete as I enter my senior year. I have Sigma Kappa to thank for that.