I pledged APO on a complete whim. One of my friends was talking about rushing, and I had remembered seeing people posting pictures from APO events online. I was hoping to meet new people on campus and make more friends. I remember meeting brothers, who would tell me how APO would be my home and I would always have a friend at any time, but back then, I was skeptical, as I knew how shy I was. Even despite the vast amount of friendly brothers however, it took me a bit before I found my home in APO. As an introvert, I had trouble starting conversations with new people or breaking out of my comfort zone. It wasn’t until my NIB semester where I found my groove. I began hosting more fellowships and getting to know new people. At some point, I found myself leaving fellowships 3 hours after they ended and showing my true colors to people. If I could go back to myself as a pledge and tell her that she would one day be on EB and speaking at GMs and putting herself there the way that I do now, she would probably laugh.
Having a community of people I can reach out to and get even more friends every semester has made APO worth it to me. I have made more genuine friends than I ever thought I was capable of having. Never did I think I could host a Smash Bros event weekly without people judging me or have a literal family that I would run around campus at night with collecting keys. Gamma has been a home for me on campus, and my only regret with APO is not pledging in my freshman year!
