Sorority Rejects Girl with Down Syndrome, Begs Her to Be Their Leader Month Later — Story of the Day

Jenna was an excited and talented high school girl who wouldn't let her Down syndrome take her confidence away. But was the brutal rejection by her favorite sorority at the school going to change her?

Jenna was so excited about high school she wanted to break into a song right in the middle of the campus.

It had been a week, but the novelty of it refused to wear off. Jenna was a big girl now, studying in such a famous high school! And though she had been called a 'special child' because of having Down syndrome, she knew she would be special for way more than just a health condition she was born with.

"Hi! I'm Jenna, and I'd love to join your sorority." Jenna was rehearsing her introduction in her head as she walked to the bunch of girls who headed the group.

Jenna thought being in a good sorority would be the perfect way to make like-minded friends. She could picture it already — the long chatty lunches, the planning of events, the creative juices flowing, the banners, the music, dance, and theater…all of it!

And so, as Jenna smiled past every face smiling back at her in the hallway, she beamed with the confidence and pride her incredible parents had nurtured in her. She couldn't wait to be a part of the dream team!

But Jenna's excitement was soon squashed by the rude remarks of one of the sorority leaders…

"I'm sorry, what? You want to be a part of this sorority?" Emma asked, raising her eyebrows and staring at Jenna's facial features.

She signaled Jenna to wait as she whispered something to the two other girls in the group. The teenagers whispered back, shaking their heads, rolling their eyes, and trying to hold their laughter.

Jenna knew what was coming, but she didn't expect the rejection to be so heartbreaking.

"Jenna! My friends here agree; you cannot be a part of our sorority. There are a ton of events coming up, you know? And we can't have someone who looks like you among us. You're not the kind of 'different' that'll help us win, but the kind of 'different' that'll slow us down and ruin our chances. It's a big fat no!"

Jenna was feverish with shame and embarrassment when she heard those words. She had been called 'different' before; she had had bullies before. "But I thought high school would be different. I thought people would see me for everything I am…" Jenna thought as she disappeared into the bathroom. She wanted to hide there for the rest of the day, go home, and never return. It's not like anyone was going to care about her anyway…

"I might forgive you someday, but I will never forget what you said."

It turns out she was wrong about that. Because just about 5 minutes after she locked herself in one of the bathroom stalls and cried, she heard a knock on the door.

"We saw what happened. Don't take it personally. Emma and her friends are the worst!"

"Totally! They think just because their parents are rich, they are special, and they can treat others like garbage!"

There were two or three kind voices trying to calm her, and that was enough for Jenna to wipe her tears and feel good about high school again.

"Thanks, girls!" Jenna finally came out of the stall with a red nose and a warm smile. "I'm Jenna!"

"I'm Lori, this is Heather, and this is Rachel."

That was the beginning of the friendship between four girls who didn't 'fit in.' With her new friends, Jenna could finally have those long chatty lunches, share her hopes and dreams, and talk about the boys she liked.

But when Jenna still felt incomplete, she walked up to her friends and said, "That's it. We're forming our own sorority!"

Under Jenna's leadership, the new sorority group quickly started to gather notice. They were the most creative group, winning contest after contest and throwing the most exciting and inclusive parties on campus.

In less than a month, Jenna's group went from being socially awkward rejects to being the sorority every girl wanted to join.

Meanwhile, Emma and her girlfriends were beginning to feel forgotten and defeated…

They could only see one way to regain their popularity in the school. They had to swallow their pride and walk up to the girl they had told off a few weeks ago.

"Jenna, oh my god! We had no clue you were SO talented!"

"Yeah, you have a beautiful voice! And so we'd like to make your dream come true…your dream of joining our sorority! Imagine what we cool cats could create together - we would totally rule!"

"You will be the leader of the group, of course! Now you can stop hanging out with that sad bunch of nobodies and come hang out with us!"

Jenna turned to look at her friends and then turned back to Emma. Jenna's face was expressionless when she said, "Sorry, there's no way I'm leading your show-off sorority. I might forgive you someday, but I will never forget what you said. My true friends and I have built something we're proud of. And we'd like to keep working on that."

Jenna held her friends' hands and said, "In our sorority, we love 'different.' All kinds of it!" she said, giving the mean girls a taste of their own medicine.

Jenna, Lori, Heather, and Rachel went on to create one of the most successful and well-known sororities of the decade, and Jenna's name remained etched in the school's history.

What can we learn from this story?

• Don't be quick to judge people. Emma and the other leaders of the popular sorority rejected Jenna just because of a condition she was born with. When they found out how talented she really was, Emma had to eat her words.
• When you lose an opportunity, create a better one for yourself. Jenna faced an embarrassing rejection from the popular kids, but that didn't stop her from building one herself with girls who truly stood by her.

Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about another boy who is mocked by classmates for his kindness towards a homeless girl he sees on the street, until an unexpected twist shocks the kids who teased him.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.