Dear DZ: Annie Smith

Dear DZ,

Thank you for being there. When I made the decision to go away to school I was ready to jump in and go on an adventure. I left my small town in eastern Michigan and went down to Alabama not really knowing what to expect, other than I would be in for a bit of a culture shock. You were there sitting in the middle of Magnolia Drive just waiting for the next pledge class of freshmen girls to come through and become a part of your sisterhood. This sisterhood is something that has become such a treasure to me because of everything you have to offer. My three years with you so far have been the best that I could ask for and I can’t wait for the last year to begin again. This thank you letter is to show just a little insight into how much you’ve impacted me in our small time together so far.

Thank you for the countless opportunities; being a member of the executive board, attending Alumni relation teas, joining committees, and holding a variety of positions. These are all things I’ve been able to do in just three years (going on four). You allowed me to get involved and become even closer to many of the 300 girls that surround me on a daily basis. As a part of the exec board I learned how to work with other people to solve conflicts and learn to look at situations in a variety of ways. This allowed me to become more open-minded and driven, which are skills I will take with me through the rest of my life. Thank you for helping me meet my best friends. I never knew that by going 12 hours away from home alone and ready for whatever comes my way, I would meet the greatest group of people I’ve ever known. I grew up watching my mom have an awesome group of adult women around her in her best times and her worst, and always hoped I’d find those girls to be there for me, and I definitely did. As I’m writing this letter from the comfort of my backyard in Michigan, I’m experiencing the worst kind of withdrawal being away from them. When I say the greatest people I’ve ever known, I really mean it. These girls that I surround myself with make me a better person, and I don’t know if a lot of girls my age can truthfully say that about even their best of friends. They all calm me down when I’m stressed, and pump me up on a Friday night after an exhausting week of clinical. If I never left Michigan, I wouldn’t have met my Texas cowgirls or my crazy Louisiana bffs.

Thanks for helping me become a nurse. Everyone knows nursing school is exhausting, difficult, but also rewarding, humbling, and exciting. You have given me over 300 “patients” to practice on. You have given me countless girls to take me to class when I’m running late or can’t sacrifice even five minutes to stop studying. You have given me an infinite amount of people to talk me off the edge after less than 3 hours of sleep a night and 7 cups of coffee later. You have helped me learn how to manage the time between studying, going out, and participating in events like nothing else ever could. I feel honored and slightly guilty that I have the support system I do trying to meander through this thing called life when I know that not everyone has the opportunity to have one supportive shoulder to cry on when I have over 300.

Thank you for bringing me closer to my sister (yes my biological sister). When I was young, I had a mini-me; she would wear my clothes, do what I always did, say whatever I said, etc. This continued all the way through her senior year of high school, when she decided she would follow me to Alabama. I knew without a doubt that Nina would become a part of DZ because she’s so much like me, my friends, and my fellow sorority sisters. There was no way she could belong anywhere else. A lot of sisters that are as close in age as Nina and I don’t get along too well, they bicker, fight over clothes, boys, and countless other things, but with us, there weren’t ever many problems. You let us become even closer than we were before. Whenever she was feeling stressed out with school or friends she could come right down the street from her dorm to the sorority house and vent. Whenever we wanted to spend time together, we had “sisterhood” events that we could go to together. You gave me the opportunity to remain as close to my sister as we were growing up and even closer now that we are young adults. I didn’t have to go 12 hours away to school to leave home, because my home followed me here.

Love,
Annie Smith (PC '13), nursing student, rising senior 2017