I waited to write this post because I wanted to talk about tonight; it was Big/Little!! It’s when a current member of an organization becomes a “big” or big sibling to a new member. Some of you might have heard of similar things happening in sororities and fraternities, but it’s a little different at Wellesley. I say this because it is not a tradition that is exclusive to just societies on campus, it happens across the board from sports teams to cultural organizations.
When you first arrive on campus as the first year, you get a big the first Sunday of the semester during an event called Flower Sunday. You fill out a survey and upperclassmen fill out one as well and then you are matched up with each other. After you find out who your big is and receive a bouquet of flowers you head off to the chapel for a service on friendship and community. While it sounds really cheesy I promise it is an amazing thing to be a part of your first week on campus. After that, everyone rushes off to brunch in their respective dining halls. What’s nice about this tradition is that it gives you a mentor, someone to confide in, from the moment you step on campus. You are never without the guidance and support of someone who has already been through what you are experiencing. My big and I hit it off right away. At the time I was in my first Peace and Justice studies class and she was finishing her Peace and Justice major so we spent the entire time discussing different kinds of peace and how justice is created in spaces. I cannot describe how nice it is to feel known in a new place and that is the feeling that receiving a big gave to me.
Flashforward a year and now I am receiving my own little! While it is not for Flower Sunday, it is for Agora which means it is an Agora specific little. Regardless, it’s wonderful to be there for a younger student and create a chosen family on campus!
xoxo,
caroline