The Meaning of AXO

What AXO means to me is a complex question with a long answer. AXO means the classic principles that direct the chapter, such as sisterhood and leadership opportunities. It means my first college friends, such as the group of girls I met on 2016 First Friday who have been by my side since we took pictures that day covered in glitter and sweat, proudly wearing our first AXO t-shirt. It means the third round of recruitment where my stomach audibly growled and, before I could nervously apologize, the Alpha Chi I was talking to said, “girl same, I have a bagel in my purse that I literally cannot wait to eat after this round.” It means my sorority family, who always went way too hard for big-little reveal (see me tinting my face green for our Shrek theme and wearing a bald cap to look like Voldemort). It means my Executive board, who I knew would be some of the best leaders I would work with but also became some of my best friends during our weekly meetings, monthly dinners, group Snapchat, and multiple tubing fails. It means the 2017 Member Class who, as VP New Member Education, I had the absolute pleasure getting to know at their Beatles-themed bid day, new member retreat (where I flipped a kayak and got us lost on a hike), or while making them pancakes on the morning of their Initiation. It means endless trips around the United States to visit friends, attend Clemson football games, or explore new places during our breaks. It means the chapter that I led as President and to whom I am still grateful for the most rewarding leadership position I’ve had to date. It means a group of real, strong women who are unapologetically themselves and give their all to their sorority, their university, and their sisters.

A memory that stands out to me as quintessentially Alpha Chi was my trip to Italy with some of my AXO sisters. When I was a sophomore, I studied abroad in Scotland without any fellow Clemson students. It was amazing, but I had moments of loneliness. Therefore, I was so excited about my spring break plans. My friends Logan and Spencer decided to fly from Greenville to Italy to meet me and our friends, Maggy and Rachel, for a girls’ trip to Italy. We spent the week touring historical sites, going on a day trip to Cinque Terre, taking pictures in front of the Leaning Tour of Pisa, and eating way too much pizza and pasta. However, the week definitely didn’t go smoothly. We had to run from the Trevi Fountain to the Vatican because of my poor time management skills, Logan and Rachel got kicked off our train in the middle of Tuscany, Spencer and Logan almost missed their flight back to America, and I accidentally flashed an entire train station after falling up a flight of stairs. The trip was slightly chaotic but that is what made it so perfect. We didn’t care that our trip had a few bumps; we were together with our Alpha Chi sisters making memories that we would retell for years to come.

My last chapter as president I found myself nostalgic. Not only was I passing my position on but it was also the last chapter for two of my best friends. That chapter, I found myself crying, laughing, and singing AXO chants until my voice was hoarse. In the end, I was in a teary group hug with my Exec board, telling the new Exec they were about to have the best time of their lives. At that moment, I felt that I was part of something bigger than myself. AXO was a sisterhood that supported and encouraged hundreds of women each in different ways, and I was one of many who would continue to be blessed by the friendships that Alpha Chi creates. So, now as a washed-up alum, I now look back on my college time sincerely grateful to Alpha Chi Omega for giving me travel companions, roommates, best friends, and memories that will last me a lifetime. More than ever, I am grateful to the Texas high school senior who took a chance on a school 1000 miles away from her home because it gave her the family that she didn’t know she needed but now could never live without.

axoxo, Molly McCabe