Amanda Marziliano

The August 6th spotlight features Amanda Marziliano, a Spring 2007 initiate at the University of Richmond. 

I arrived at the University of Richmond in August 2006, a shy freshman who thought wearing a "polo" meant going to Old Navy or Target and buying a $5 cotton shirt. Instead, I found a school where the students looked as if they had stepped straight from the pages of a J. Crew catalog. My grandmother, whom I was very close with, had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer the week before I left, and she passed away four weeks into the semester. I wasn't interested in drinking or partying, and I didn't make many friends right away. Luckily for me, UR assigns big sisters to all its freshman girls, and my big sister lived with two Alpha Chis. They immediately set out to convince me to go through formal recruitment. As a girl from suburban New Jersey whose only experience with sororities was watching Legally Blonde, I was reluctant. But once they began introducing me to their sisters, I was hooked. These women were leaders on campus--involved in mock trial, student government, sports, music, every activity you could imagine. Women who had the type of social life and friendships I envied so much. I knew I had to be a part of this sisterhood, that maybe a group of sorority women who weren't the norm were exactly what was missing from my college experience. During rush, I couldn't wait to get to Alpha Chi, and realized that while with the other chapters, I was nervous and shy, with my future sisters I could truly be myself. I didn't feel judged, and finally felt at home on campus. I was thrilled to accept my bid a few days later.

In my four years as a collegiate member, and my subsequent years as an alumna, I have learned so much from my sisters. I developed from a shy girl into a confident young woman. Four years of recruitment gave me the ability to make small talk with anyone, and the skills I learned there have been incredibly useful as an adult--from job interviews, to academic conferences, to meeting my fiancé's family! I had opportunities to be a leader, both as a collegiate executive board member and as an alumna advisor. My sisters and the opportunities and support they have given me have helped me develop to my full potential. The friendships I share with them have truly changed my life, and I am so grateful every day for the gifts Alpha Chi Omega has given me.