Sisters by Chance & Choice

Laura Parker and Beth Farrell grew up in the small town of Piney Creek, North Carolina, nestled in the Appalachian Mountains. Through many trials and tribulations of childhood, they developed a strong bond of sisterhood. They spent an abundance of time on either their grandparents’ tobacco farm or dairy farm. Together, their passion for agriculture grew far beyond the confines of Piney Creek to their education at North Carolina State University in Raleigh.

Beth arrived at North Carolina State two years before Laura, but when they reunited it was like they found that missing piece to their soul.

Beth joked, “that she had to do the hard work so Laura could have it easy when she arrived.” Shortly after Laura’s arrival, Beth joined Sigma Alpha. The following semester, enthralled by Beth’s Sigma Alpha stories, Laura joined. The sisters became the first biological sisters in the young Alpha Theta Chapter. Through Sigma Alpha, the sisters learned that family is more then just blood. Having grown up as sisters, they were able to share with the rest of the chapter their learned knowledge of how to properly treat a sister and were living examples of the bond of sisterhood. Sigma Alpha in turn gave the sisters the small community feel while living in such a large city and made their bond even stronger.

Going forward in life, they both feel blessed to have been a part of the legacy of the Alpha Theta Chapter. As an FFA advisor and ag teacher, Laura still uses the lessons taught to her by Sigma Alpha. The sorority taught her how to properly use Robert’s Rule of Order which serves her well in the classroom, specifically with handling difficult situations while being always respectful.

For Beth, the difficult conversations that she had with her sisters taught her irreplaceable lessons for her current role as Agriculture Programs Specialist at North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

She learned how to sit in a room of many different individuals with a variety of opinions, hash out the issue and be able to leave the room with a united front. Both sisters gained the invaluable knowledge of organic connectivity and the strength of women in agriculture through their experiences afforded to them by the sorority. To this day, they have both witnessed the value of the sisterhood through random instances of student teachers, farm visits, or national conferences that have helped establish a network unlike any other. Looking back, they both wish they would have joined sooner, but are so grateful for the years of memories spent with their sisters. For them, Sigma Alpha taught them to not be afraid to be authentically themselves, and they have seen that mentality play out through the impact women in agriculture have continued to make.

While both sisters share in the excitement of watching how women in agriculture continue to change the world, they, without recognizing it, have helped those women do that, inadvertently changing the world themselves. They are both humble about their own achievements while being beyond proud and supportive of each other, each embodying what it truly means to be a Sigma Alpha sister.