When I first came to college, I was still shy and insecure about my Asian identity. I had high hopes that I would be able to have the opportunity to join the Asian community at Iowa State. I was so excited about college and the new freedom it brought along. I signed up for a handful of clubs (didn’t really end up going to any, though). At Clubfest, one booth struck me in particular. “Delta Phi Lambda.” A sorority. And, there were Asian girls standing at the booth! I didn’t know that such a thing existed! At first, I decided to go along with the process out of sheer curiosity for what this organization was all about. Now here I am, three semesters later, President of Delta Phi Lambda.
I always say that I wouldn’t be where I am right now without DPhiL, and this is true. I am a completely different person than I was in high school, and a lot of that has to do with the fact that being in DPhiL taught me how to communicate and work well with others. It taught me that it’s okay to open up to people and ask for help if I need it. In high school, I was a rigid perfectionist and determined to make it in life completely alone. Thanks to DPhiL, I’ve learned that perfection is unnecessary as long as I’ve done my best, and I don’t have to face everything alone to be independent. Being in a sorority is different from being in a club because your membership in this organization represents something deeper than a name on a roster; it’s a lifelong sisterhood. If I have an argument or disagreement with a sister, I can’t just ignore her or vow to never speak to her again. We’re sisters. We own up to our mistakes and handle conflict in a calm, mature way. We figure it out. And that’s something that you definitely can’t learn in school.
Overall, being in DPhiL for almost two years has taught me what some may take a lifetime to learn, and I’m proud of that.
Written by Lauren "Lanirosé" Davis