They say when "the Pipes of Pan are calling [you], [you] cannot say no". Every sister had their own reason for wanting to join Sigma Alpha Iota. Whether it was because our best friend was already a sister, or if we aspired to hold leadership positions to better ourselves, or maybe just because we wanted lifetime friendships, it all led us to becoming Roses.
Andrea Leon-Moreno, Zeta Theta, Valdosta State University, began her journey in SAI as someone on the outside looking in who couldn't understand it, and is now a sister on the inside who can't explain it.
"I started off as the kind of person that was against sororities and fraternities, always stating “Why would I want to join something where you have to pay for friends? To be around people that I have to pretend to like?”
This is a story that I tell often, where the girl, who is now my big, was being serenaded by one of the brothers and I asked what he was singing to her. He explained to me that it was a song that Phi Mu Alpha brothers sing to the sisters and then asked me if I would be joining SAI, to which my response was “Do I look like a fraternity girl to you? No.” I was eventually convinced to check out the SAI chapter at Valdosta, met the sisters, and gave it a try which later led to me becoming a sister.
I had gone from Miami to Valdosta, Georgia where I knew only one person. SAI became the family that I was lacking in this new town. We would watch movies together, study together, plan dates so that we could all grow closer bonds, go shopping together, and a lot of other things. The sisters attended my senior recital (some even came from out of town), to support me in an event which was a big deal in my collegiate career. These wonderful women, who hadn’t given up on me, had really become my sisters.
Fast forward to a few years later and I still have not regretted my decision to join this extraordinary fraternity. Sigma Alpha Iota has been a great support system for me throughout my years, and a phenomenal place to meet some great people that share the same love for music that I do. I have created friendships that will last me a lifetime with people who want to keep music prospering throughout the world and the community.
I found that wherever you go, you will find a chapter of these amazing people that have not only taught me how to be professional but have provided a safe sisterhood to express my ideas and express myself. Honestly, I wouldn’t trade that for anything in the world."
