Embrace the Sisterhood

Don’t be afraid to appreciate, trust, and utilize the support network that your Rosebaby class provides.

When I joined Helenes in the Fall of my Sophomore year, I was excited by the idea of having a sisterhood, but looking back I don’t think I quite knew what that meant at the time I applied. I didn’t realize how flooded in love you would feel as a Rosebud—with hundreds of posts on your Facebook wall, alongside dozens of waves and smiles and “hellos” and hugs from strangers (who you will soon realize are other Helenes).

Honestly—I am ashamed to say—I don’t think I fully appreciated the value of this sisterhood or even the true meaning of it until several weeks into our Rosebud meetings when we all started to get more comfortable with each other, and Roses and Thorns didn’t just become a recitation of the innate details of our day-today lives, but instead an expression of our deepest feelings. I was amazed by the trust the other girls so openly expressed within our circle about their deepest emotions, traumas, joys, and hilarity. Looking back, I wish that I had opened up sooner. Correction: I wish I had opened up. Period. As someone who has a very hard time expressing difficulty, challenge, and failure, I think that my inability to express my true feelings in a group setting held me back from embracing my rosebud sisterhood as much as I could have.

So the message here—and I apologize for the preachiness—is to open up. It’s okay to be a bit uncomfortable. Embrace this sisterhood in every way you know how and really enjoy the moment you are in. I know that Rosebud meetings can be tough—especially when you have an exam the next day (oh… how I remember thinking about my anatomy exam the next day…) or a big paper due (oh… that lab report is looming around the corner) or a big event (oh… how nerve-wracking that big presentation is). But it’s important to realize the beauty of Rosebud meetings (again, sorry for the preachiness). And I’m expressing this to you now because I wish that I had recognized this when I was a Rosebud. I wish that I hadn’t been such a closed-off stress case. I wish that I had immediately followed my sisters in opening up and letting it out during meeting. Everyone needs support every now and then—and we are inexplicably lucky to have our sisters to open up to.

So, please: share the love and trust in the process. Your sisters are there for you. All you have to do is let them listen.