Sisters for Life

Years come and go, the world changes – but the bond of true sisterhood in Phi Sigma Sigma remains as strong as ever. Here are three stories.

March 15, 2011

IN CASE IT’S NEVER OCCURRED TO YOU BEFORE, there are currently six generations of Phi Sigma Sigma sisters living around the world. That’s right: six. From those who are in their 90s to those who were born in the 1990s, our women have collectively witnessed more cultural, societal, geopolitical and gender upheaval than humans have arguably seen at any other time in history.

Everything from the way we dress to the careers we hold is so vastly different from what our Founders knew, and what the sisters they initiated knew, and so on down the line, that you might think different generations of Phi Sig women have very little in common.

And yet the truth is if you listen to sisters of all ages – sisters for life – there’s so much we have in common despite the years that it’s quite possible our Founders would recognize us as being their “own,” the organization of women they’d hoped we would become.

How is that possible? Phi Sigs say it’s the bond of true sisterhood – and, ironically, our appreciation for, as well as our pride in, the diversity of our members who happen to share similar values and views on supporting and empowering each other to achieve their greatest potential.

“We have always said, ‘Phi Sigma Sigma isn’t a cookie-cutter sorority,’” notes past Grand Archon Judith Distler, who just retired from her Phi Sig volunteer life after an incredible 45 years of service. “Women of all kinds who share the same core values have always found a home in Phi Sig, and that’s as true today as it ever was. It’s a bond that strengthens and defines us.”

‘Years later, I feel completely at home’

Susan Miles Reback, a relatively new alumna volunteer who first joined Phi Sig as a member of our historic Alpha Chapter in the 1960s, couldn’t agree more.

“I haven’t been actively involved in decades – but I feel just as much at home among the young women I advise today as I did with my sisters at Hunter College,” she says. (Indeed, Susan quickly re-immersed herself in our organization, becoming one of the charter participants in our growing Sister Loyalty Program for alumnae who want to support Phi Sig’s continuing success.)

When she first began volunteering as a fundraising advisor for the Delta Nu Chapter at Iona College two years ago, Susan worried whether she could catch up on the many changes in sorority culture and operations that had clearly taken place in her absence. (“For example, we don’t use the word ‘pledge’ anymore,” she says with a laugh. “I’m learning!”) She also worried about whether she’d fit in.

“I mean, the women I advise are 45 years younger than me! You might think I’d feel out of place – but, as it turns out, I don’t, because the bonds of sisterhood are that strong,” she says. “They cherish all the same values and traditions I remember. Plus, they’re so welcoming to me that returning to Phi Sig after retirement has been one of the best things I’ve ever done.”

For example, when Susan was diagnosed last year with stage 1 breast cancer (she is recovering), the Delta Nu women did something she still cannot fathom: They arranged a fundraiser on campus without her knowledge and collected more than $1,300 to donate to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in her name.

“Imagine young women going out of their way and doing that for someone like me!” Susan exclaims in a voice that’s deeply emotional and overjoyed at the same time. “That’s not something you expect of people unless you share a strong bond…. They’ve made me a part of their family. They listen to my stories, invite me to events and appreciate my help,” she adds. “That’s true sisterhood.”

‘Our traditions keep us close’

On the other end of the spectrum, collegian Amanda Kohn, who was just initiated last spring and has since been elected Archon of our Delta Xi Chapter (State University of New York-Binghamton University), says she can already see the “sister for life” concept at work.

Having just returned from her first Phi Sig Leadership Conference for chapter officers and alumnae volunteers, she was excited to see how many older sisters like Susan are still actively involved in our organization.

“Even if there is a generation gap, it doesn’t matter because there’s so much history and tradition that defines us – our Founders, our Twin Ideals, our values, ‘LITP,’ the Sphinx – I feel like that brings us all together, and keeps us close,” Amanda explains. “I can already tell this a bond that’s not like any other…. These are women I can go to with good news and bad, to rely on for help facing problems, to create a lifetime of memories.”

She adds: “Plus, when I met our alumnae at LC, it became obvious to me just how much they love our sorority. It made it all real: everything we learn about how special sisterhood is supposed to be…. I get it now.”

‘We’ve always known each other’ 

For Rachel Rigoglioso, future law student and recent graduate from our Epsilon Sigma Chapter (Virginia Wesleyan College), the idea of finally embarking on her lifetime membership in Phi Sig as an alumna sister is exciting and new, and something she very much looks forward to.

“I loved my college experience – and now I have big dreams to join the local alumnae chapter,” explains Rachel, who especially enjoys networking with sisters. “We may come from different (collegiate) chapters, but I already know when I meet them, it’ll be like we’ve always known each other.”

She speaks from experience. When Rachel, like Amanda, attended a major sorority conference, she encountered so many fun, enterprising and passionate leaders, she immediately hit it off with other young sisters she’d never before met. They’re still close friends to this day. And she sees no reason it shouldn’t be the same in an alumnae chapter setting.

“It means a lot to me to be in a group of like-minded women, especially when I’m looking to do charity work,” she explains. “I’d really miss that group dynamic if I didn’t stay involved in Phi Sig now that I’ve graduated…. I know I would. I don’t want to miss it, and I’m glad I won’t have to.”

Rachel – like countless other Phi Sigs – definitely sees herself as a sister for life. Recently, when one of her own chapter sisters had a baby, Rachel was there coaching and encouraging her through the labor. “I needed to be there for her, because she’s my sister…. I was literally holding her head while she was giving birth – this woman from Argentina who attended my college, who I recruited to join our sorority, who got married, who is having a family.

“And now I’m the godmother,” Rachel says with no small amount of pride. “I’m a part of their lives, and I always plan to be. If that’s not a story of how Phi Sigs are truly ‘sisters for life,’ in all aspects of life,” she adds, the happiness evident in her voice, “I don’t know what is!”