An Ode to My Sister

Women’s history month stands as a time to celebrate and recognize all of the women in the world working to inspire others and make a difference. There are so many amazing women that strive every single day to push towards a greater goal, and while the idea of honoring their dedication is something that should be retained year round, this month allows us to take a few weeks of special awareness to their achievements.

Past or present, women make the world go ‘round.

In honor of women’s history month, I wanted to bring up a certain woman that has achieved a great many things, and is someone that I love dearly. This woman is my very own sister: Rylie Morris.

Growing up, I always adored my older sister as any younger sister would, but now more than ever I am honored to call her my sibling. Rylie is currently pursuing her PhD at the University of Madison in Biochemistry (and is a published scientist!), and she is one of the smartest people I know. Every day, I feel driven by how much she pushes herself, and her passion for her field has rubbed off on me to such an extent that I am currently at college for my own major in the field of STEM- Biology. 

Rylie has overcome so many challenges in her life, and she rarely (if ever) complains or laments about her own problems. In high school, she sustained a sporting injury and had to undergo a series of back surgeries, as well as drop out of sports permanently due to her spine. Despite all of this- she simply looked ahead and continued her studies. She didn’t fall behind on any of her school work, and hasn’t let it become a hindrance of any sort in her life. As I am someone that sometimes finds herself stuck in a repeating cycle of frustration, I know that I can always look to my sister as a reminder that things are going to be okay. Without such a positive influence pushing on me so consistently throughout my life, I most certainly wouldn’t be the woman that I am today. No matter how busy she is, my sister is always willing to sit down and listen to me if I call her with an emergency. Having a voice of calm and reason constantly in my back pocket has helped me overcome some of my biggest hurdles in life, and has helped to remind me of all of the things that I need to be grateful for.

I can also say with confidence that without Rylie, I wouldn’t have joined greek life. While I was still in high school, my older sister went off to college; exploring the new world of undergrad and meeting a ton of new people. While at Ripon College, she met a really amazing group of girls from a sorority named Kappa Delta- one thing led to another, and she ended up joining their organization. 

I was confused.

I had heard of sororities before, but my sister and I were never the “sorority type” (or so I thought). It wasn’t until I went to visit her at college that I began realizing that all of the stereotypes that surrounded greek life were false, and that it was certainly something that I could picture not only her, but me, joining. Starting my own college journey was terrifying, to say the least- but I was excited for the new road that was ahead of me, and I knew for a fact that I wanted to go through sorority recruitment. As it turns out, I found my home in Kappa Delta as well, and I now find myself in the wonderful position of being a KD legacy (I guess you could say that Rylie and I are sisters “squared”).

Research for my sister seems to come naturally, and though I know she works her tail off behind the scenes, up front it appears to happen for her without a second thought. In undergrad, she worked for her chem professors as a student researcher, and has since moved up the ranks to working in a graduate level research lab. I love calling her for updates on her projects, and even though I’m in a biochemistry class myself, I can’t understand half of the stuff she says. It seems to click so well in her brain that I sometimes feel she was born to be in the field that she is pursuing, and I love to see the happiness that it brings her.

Maybe it’s my “younger sister-ness” coming out just a bit, but I can’t think of a single thing that Rylie can’t do. I am lucky to get to call such an amazing woman my sister, and I can’t imagine a life without her by my side. I know that one day she will join the ranks of women in science that have changed the world, but for now, she has changed my world. Even though I rarely get to see her in person recently due to the COVID restrictions, I never feel that our connection diminishes in any way.

When someone asks me who I look up to, I don’t hesitate before I say “Rylie Morris.”

xx,

Kelsi Morris 

Kappa Delta 

Ripon College 

@plant.based.dreamer