Recruitment Recap: Why Alpha Chi Omega?

MARISA BERNER ’21
STAFF WRITER
 
Rushing can be a great way to make friends and immerse yourself in a community on campus.  That’s why Hannah Kelleher, now a junior at Trinity College, decided to participate this past week after transferring from UNC Wilmington this past semester.
As a junior, it can be difficult to get involved and make friends, and even though Kelleher is on the soccer team and the track and field team, she was finding it more difficult than she had expected.  While initially skeptical about whether or not she’d be able to find a sorority that was right for her, Kelleher decided to rush for at least Alpha Chi Omega and Stella. She had heard about Alpha Chi Omega from one of her friends, and was told that they were “pretty chill,” and she was also interested in how philanthropic the sorority is, due to their community work around domestic violence.  Back at UNC Wilmington, Hannah had helped a friend host a sexual assault awareness event and fundraiser, “Got Consent?,” and had really enjoyed helping out and spreading awareness. So, for her, a sorority that was also philanthropic was a very appealing aspect of why she decided to rush for Alpha Chi Omega. Kelleher was also interested in Stella, as the members were mostly track and field athletes, and as she’s on the track team, she decided that that might be a good way for her to make some friends.  While touring the houses, Kelleher loved how the Alpha Chi Omega members were walking up to her and making conversation, as well as trying to help her meet other members of the sorority. After touring the houses, she decided that her top three were Alpha Chi Omega, Stella, and Ivy, but ultimately ended up going with Alpha Chi Omega, crediting it as the one with the atmosphere she liked the most.
Throughout the whole process, Kelleher tried not to take the process all that seriously, as she was more interested in making friends and integrating herself at the school more than anything else.  She plans to be as involved as she can be, as being on the soccer team and the track and field team can take up a lot of her time, but still wants to make certain that Alpha Chi Omega stays a priority for the rest of her years on campus. At her old school, Kelleher wasn’t a part of any sororities, as UNC Wilmington is a Division One school, so there wasn’t much time, but she was excited for the opportunity to try and get more involved in her school in a non-athletic capacity.
Kelleher was also worried about joining a sorority because of the stigma surrounding rushing, particularly hazing, but Alpha Chi Omega’s initiation process is very lax and welcoming, with most of the events even being optional.  Kelleher’s still interested to go to the events that she has time for, and is super excited in bonding with the new friends she made this week.