Now that I've graduated I have a lot of free time on my hands and I've been doing a lot of reflecting on the past school year. To put it simply, my senior year had a lot of highs and a lot of lows but overall, I think it was the best year I had during my time at USC. I'm sharing a few of the most memorable moments/events so those who stumble upon this know what helped shape me into who I am now and so that I'll remember what happened and how I felt 2 or 3 years from now. Now that I'm an alum I can't get in trouble with standards either so prepare yourself for honesty.
Picture #1-Bid Night: I'm always filled with mixed emotions on bid night. Freshman year I cried because I'd essentially been bid promised by the other house that I pref-ed and I felt as if I'd been lied to by the girls who had rushed me. It also didn't help that at the time I'd felt as if I had a much stronger connection to the girls in that sorority. Sophomore year I was annoyed because despite being in charge of bid night and having planned everything all summer the event was usurped by a girl with more power in the house and nothing was the way I'd wanted it to be--not even the damn dinner. This past year I was just happy that I'd never have to do rush again. In fact, that's the way I always felt. Happy that rush was over and ready to drop the pretenses and just get to know the new (or old in the case of my freshman year) girls. When I meet girls who drop out of rush or pledging because they didn't end up where they thought they wanted to be I think back to my freshman year and realize I definitely wouldn't be who I am today or have had the opportunity to meet some really great individuals if I hadn't gone to bid night back in Fall 2009. Maybe I would have fit in at House Y but honestly, after realizing I fit in my house, too, I knew I wouldn't want to change where I was. I hope girls in the future learn the same lesson that I, and I'm sure many of the girls who walked through our doors this past fall, have.
Picture #2-Delt Fall Formal: This was my second frat formal ever and my first as Brandon's girlfriend. It was a lot of fun getting ready for it and I was really happy because I remember it being one of the first times I felt completely comfortable again with a girl I'd had a falling out (if you want to call it that) with over the summer.
Picture #3-Beach Bash 2011: I'm not going to lie, Beach Bash wasn't very fun. I'd tried to arrange a dinner group but people bailed last minute and my former friend, Bree, hadn't been able to find a date. Because I'd considered her one of my best friends at the time, I rejected Brandon's suggestion that I should uninvite her. Although this put my conscience at ease, it definitely served as a catalyst for my first major fight with him. As an aside, ending my friendship with Bree was probably one of the bigger disappointments of the year. I'd always considered her one of my better friends in the house, someone who I could always talk to or rant about things with, someone who gave advice and "took care of" me when I was upset and needed someone to turn to. It wasn't until December that I learned that not only had she been talking trash about me to our mutual friends but her lying and manipulation over the summer had majorly contributed (and one could even argue that she caused) to the drama between myself and two other girls in the house, one of whom still, in my opinion misguidedly, hates me. When I questioned Bree about her actions, she denied having done anything wrong, making me even angrier because I'd already compared texts/FB messages that she'd sent me and the other parties involved and knew the truth. The fact is, I don't really miss her because she was toxic and I don't need someone like that in my life but it was so upsetting to realize that someone whose character I'd defended against attacks made by my boyfriend, girls we knew, guys in frats, etc., was actually identical to what I'd believed it wasn't.
Picture #4-Big Sis/Little Bro Night: I think the picture speaks for itself. I love my little bro.<3
Picture #5-Big/Little Reveal: To be honest, I was shocked when I learned I'd gotten a little. The good kind of shocked. The kind of shocked where you're like, "Me? Really? No, there must be some mistake... Wait, this is the best day EVER." Although I'd originally been close with my big we'd grown apart after she became consumed by her boyfriend(s). My first little and I were extremely close but then she graduated and we stopped talking quite as much. I missed having tight-knit Greek family within my sorority. Coming into this year, I'd known my chances of getting a little were slim: I was a senior, I wasn't around that often, and I hadn't been assigned any pearl/scarlet/olive sisters until I requested that I be paired with Annie. By that time I'd known I wanted to take her as my second little. I'd rushed her and thought she was adorable and then our convo over dinner at Octopus made me want to squish her wittle cheeks. I'm glad she felt the same way and that she could join the Benetton clan. <3
Picture #6-USC Weekender: My sophomore year weekender had hardly been enjoyable, between car sickness and looming midterms, I spent the majority of it extremely stressed out. This past fall I drove up with Brandon and after going to the game (BEAT THE BEARS!) and staying over at one of the Delts' houses, I got to see two of my best friends from high school, Vika and Kathy, and visit Cal's frat row with them. It was fun and I'll never forget the death chili pepper I was convinced into eating. Unfortunately, I'd gone up with an undiagnosed kidney infection and 3 days after I came back to LA I ended up in the ER attached to an IV filled with pain killers. I'd still say it was worth it.
Picture #7-All-American: I'm including this because I was technically on the committee and although I didn't play a huge role in organizing our philanthropy, I helped support the girls who did. USC AXO's All-American philanthropy goes towards raising money to support domestic violence awareness. We've done a lot in the past two years in terms of volunteering at local women's shelters and trying to increase campus awareness of our national mission. This was also the first year I was able to participate in the event (freshman year I was out of town and last year we had to do a different philanthropy) and it was a lot of fun to be a captain for my boyfriend's frat and cheer for my friends, all while supporting a great cause.
Picture #8-USC vs. UCLA=50-0 & Thanksgiving: I got to spend Thanksgiving with Brandon, his little sister, and my mom this past year and it was really enjoyable. Don't get me wrong, I love my mom and spending holidays with her but ever since my dad passed away our Thanksgivings have definitely been lacking that "home-y"/big family feel. It was nice to add more people to the table. To end a great Thanksgiving break we had a Trojan domination over UCLA and the sharing of a few very important words. :)
Picture #9-AXO Inspo: I'd never been to Inspo before and I'm glad I finally made it my senior year. Even though Brandon and I got into a fight (formals weren't so great for us first semester), I still remember the event fondly. Not only did I get to see who was really there for me that night but it was nice to see how resolving our fight ended up making our relationship better.
Misc. memories in no particular order: Lotus dates with Nathalie, Christmas party at Kathryn's, road trip to Texas, kidney infection round 2, working at the LRC all winter break, the day Brandon came home from New York, Delt 70s party, getting an internship at a law firm, HARD Haunted, Disneyland with my PAD big, Frank Ocean concert, and learning how to confront people.
