[Sistermadly]

This isn't really a pref story, but I'm going to post it anyway...

When I was in undergraduate school, I went through rush. At the time the system wasn't integrated, and I was dropped from 4 of the 5 houses on campus. I was getting ready to go back to the one house that invited me back when a "friend" of mine told me that the only reason the chapter invited me back was because they lost the picture that was attached to my application, and didn't think it would be fair to cut me. It hurt hearing that, so I decided to drop completely out of recruitment. I wondered for YEARS what might have happened if I'd decided to stick it out - what if I had gone through it? What if I'd been given a bid to that chapter? What if I'd been initiated in college instead of as an alumna?

Years later when I was going through alumnae initiation, I contacted the Vancouver alumnae chapter of this organization. Almost 15 years had gone by since my disastrous rush, but I still had lots of love for this organization. I agonized over my decision, but ultimately I chose Alpha Phi (and Alpha Phi chose me). I now know without a doubt that I'm exactly where I belong, but from time to time, I still wonder "What if I'd become an AOII?"