For California Gamma Kelly Mandala, the legacy of Pi Beta Phi has been prominent in her life for as long as she can remember. Kelly has Pi Beta Phi in her blood: her mother, grandmother, aunt and sister are all Pi Phis.

When Kelly decided to go through formal recruitment in fall 2015, her mother, California Gamma Sheryl Hansen, was supportive, but allowed Kelly to make her own decisions. Sheryl did hope her daughter would become her Pi Phi sister. How could she not? Thankfully for this legacy, Pi Beta Phi was a good fit and Kelly has felt the benefits of our sisterhood, especially during her Initiation Ceremony.

Her mother and 10 of her pledge sisters attended Kelly’s initiation, where Sheryl pinned her daughter during the initiation ceremony. The house is similar to when they all lived in the house, but better! They run around yelling, “Do you remember when…?” Her mother also shared a story of living on the second floor where she could lovingly yell into Kelly’s father’s room next door in the Alpha Tau Omega house.

That was not the only treat that Kelly received that weekend. Her older sister is Arizona Alpha Nicole Mandala, who was not expected to attend Kelly’s initiation because it was Homecoming weekend at the University of Arizona. Nicole and a few of her Arizona Alpha sisters drove seven hours and close to 500 miles from Tucson to Los Angeles to surprise Kelly and their mother.

Kelly has continued to feel the sisterhood Pi Beta Phi Fraternity offers from the examples of her mother’s annual get-togethers and from the women who supported her sister to drive to attend to Initiation. Our sisterhood goes far beyond time and miles to show the love we have for one another.