A show called “Sweet Valley” inspired Bridgar Nayiga to pledge a sorority.
Except there are a few crucial differences: Nayiga is not a blond twin from California like her favorite TV characters. She is a UI freshman who arrived from Uganda a little more than two weeks ago.
Relaxing in a local coffeehouse and sipping an iced lemonade, Nayiga said moving to Iowa City is not her first foray into the United States. After several visits to extended family scattered across the country, a cousin in Minnesota recommended the UI for its actuarial-science program.
Upon her arrival in Iowa, Nayiga realized a sorority may be the best reminder of home. She comes from Kampala, Uganda’s capital city, which is packed with around 2 million residents. She grew up with 11 siblings and attended a boarding school of about 50 girls.
“Maybe I want to re-create or repeat what I had,” the 19-year-old said.
At Orientation, Nayiga met members of the UI Panhellenic Council, and her interest grew. After the application process, she was able to participate in traditional greek festivities, including rush.
Wearing her red “All Eyes on DZ” bid-day shirt, she said her favorite part of rush was dressing up and meeting her future sisters.
Although she said all sorority sisters were welcoming, she chose to pledge Delta Zeta because she felt comfortable with the members and everything “clicked.”
“The girls just made me feel like I shouldn’t look at any other option,” she said.
As the only international student to pledge Delta Zeta this year, Nayiga said joining the sorority in some ways helped her transition into university life.
“It helps her get more involved on campus and get to know a diverse group of people and enrich her college life,” said Kristen Bogusz, the vice president of new member education at Delta Zeta.
And Nayiga said the women always offer to pick her up when she gets lost, in spite of spending a fair share of her time staring at a campus map.
“I’ve gotten lost like five times now,” she said.
She’s even enjoying the food here, especially anything spicy — these meals are a big change from the relatively bland dishes in Uganda, including “matoke,” a mashed up vegetable inside a banana leaf.
She is able to talk to her family about twice a week, but that costs $20 for three hours.
Fortunately, a scholarship from Steel and Tube Industries in Uganda covers her tuition. She also receives a monthly allowance from her parents, which she is saving to pay for her sorority dues.
She said her mother and father support her joining a sorority, but they have plenty of questions about the unfamiliar concept.
“They were most surprised that the girls actually lived together in a house,” she said.
For now, Nayiga said, she will focus on finding a job and recovering from cultural shock, such as the sight of short skirts on campus. And she looks forward to another new experience: American football.
