To My Freshman Self

Dear Kat,

It’s Bid Day, and I can still see you standing there, in Tate Grand Hall. Your heart is racing from nervousness and excitement, and you can’t even think straight as you impatiently wait to see what happens. You are praying you made the right choice.

Now, here I am, four years later, and I just wish I could tell you that, not only did you make the right choice, you made one of the best decisions of your life! I wish there was enough time to tell you about all the crazy, wonderful, hilarious memories you would get to experience over the next few years together. But, ill do my best to hit you with some of the highlights.

During freshman year, you would have no idea, but the very first girl you’d talk to from your very first class at UGA would end up being your roommate… still three years later. Ashleigh, how is it even possible we’ve managed to put up with each other this long? Freshman year also brought you your first gamedays, your first date nights, and your first ten-person Bolton dates.

Flash forward to sophomore year, living in the house. There’s that one time you got back from class and found Easter eggs all over your room, filled with ugly snapchat screenshots of your face, just because Jaclyn and Kelly thought it would be hilarious. It was, and you never did find them all. Or that one night a thunderstorm knocked out the power in the house, but it ended up being such a memorable disaster because a group of us would sneak down the dark halls and burst into each other’s room just to give everyone a good scare, always ending in laughter. And who could forget that one time Thaynes and Alison decided to write secret notes on potatoes and leave them all around the house? Still to this day they have a sense of humor matched by none.

Sophomore year also brought you your little. You didn’t believe in twins separated at birth until you met Mckenzie. It scares you (and others) how alike you truly are, but you love that you have someone like her in your life. She is one of your best friends and biggest supporters, and if it wasn’t for her you don’t know who would laugh at all your really bad jokes

Of course, we can’t forget some of the more serious moments too.

Freshman year spring break, when you knew in your heart you were going on the mission trip to Jamaica but struggled to reach the fundraising total. It was your friends that chipped in to make sure you wouldn’t miss that life changing opportunity.

And when you returned and knew that it was time for you to finally be baptized, you had the biggest smile as you looked around that small room and saw thirty familiar faces who came because they knew how important that brief moment was going to mean to you. To Kelsey and Rachel, you are so happy that you could share that awesome moment with them.

Another time junior year when your little sister came through recruitment, and you were so anxious about what she would end up doing, just hoping that no matter what she would love where she was. And on Bid Day you burst into (ugly) tears when you saw Caroline standing on our lawn. How happy you still are to share this place and these incredible people with her.

But, sometimes the moments were a little harder.

Flashback again to freshman year, when you broke up with your high school boyfriend and you didn’t know what else to do but cry. It ended up being okay because your big came and picked you up, took you to buy a gallon of ice cream, and then watched three Disney movies back to back until you were smiling again. Madison always had a way of picking you up whenever you fell down.

Speaking of falling down, there’s also that one time you found out you failed one of your hardest tests and it completely ruined your day, but when you got home from class you found a box of Dunkin Donuts on your desk with a note from Anna Kate saying “I hope your day gets better, because you deserve the all the happiness in the world” and her Bible laid out with certain passages marked.

There have been moments when, in times of unbearable grief and tragedy, you have seen a group of 260 women stand so firmly together and hold each other steady in such a way that you can only look on in amazement at the strength of all their hearts.

I look back throughout the past years and I remember my favorite quote.

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but they will never forget the way you made them feel”- Maya Angelou

Sigma Kappa, I will never forget the way you made me feel.

Important

Included.

Appreciated

Supported .

Unique.

And Loved immeasurably.

So to you, my dear, naïve, freshman Kat, I just want you to know something. Stop worrying.

You don’t know this, but you are about to be welcomed into the arms of almost 300 of the most incredible women. Some of your best friends and greatest confidants. You are going to treasure every moment you get to spend with these people over the next four years, and know that it has been such an honor and a privilege to get to know and love every single one of them.