Meet Gamma Alpha Omega Hispanic Sorority

Welcome back and thank you for reading!

This week I have decided to focus on profiling a local sorority here at the University of Arizona to give my readers an opportunity to read about something very important: how the University of Arizona has incorporated and highlighted the achievements and recognition of its Hispanic learners, into its student body.

So, meet Gamma Alpha Omega Hispanic Sorority. Gamma Alpha Omega was founded in 1993 at the Arizona State University campus in Tempe, Arizona by five college women.

Their goal was to push forward the Hispanic body through activity and challenged learning. The sorority targets common-day social issues in the Hispanic community, as well as targets the accomplishment and success of the academic distinction of its members.

"We consider ourselves a mulit-cultural organization and accept women of all backgrounds and
ethnicity's," said Jessica Aguirre, a current active member of Gamma Alpha Omega Sorority Inc. Beta Chapter since 2003.

"We were formed for Latina women as a support system, to give encouragement to these women to get an education and to give back to the Hispanic community," she said.

"I think the major thing we have accomplished is being a support system for minority women. "

"This semester we have 7 active members, which is very small compared to a traditional sorority, but by being this small gives us a chance to really get to know one another."

The sorority's mission is also to seek, motivate and serve the Hispanic student body to get out into the real world and be leaders. The sorority has reached to nine different states and there are currently fifteen chapters on various campuses.

Our main philanthropy is the John Valenzuela Youth Center in
South Tucson, a predominately Hispanic community. Through the center we are
often found playing games with the kids or helping with homework. This
semester my two sisters

This year, sisters Nicole Brown and Rachel Mendivil created an outreach program called "Studying with a Wildcat," which is designed for the sorority philanthropy John Valenzuela Youth Center. The tutoring program enables children from the John Valenzuela Youth Center to come to the University of Arizona and familiarize themselves with a college campus.

Aguirre said it is designed to "give them a feel of what the UA is about, let them know there are people who look like them at the UA, and let them know it is possible to get an education no matter what their background is."

The program takes place in the Integrated Learning Center (ILC) every Thursday evening from 6:30 p.m.- 8:00 p.m.

Amongst numerous accomplishments, Gamma Alpha Omega was "officially recognized" as "an incorporated entity in the state of Arizona" in April of 2001.

Its founding mothers are:

Michelle Seanez
Amy Alvarez
Patsy Guardado
Clara Lopez
Michelle Mendoza

Executive Board Members, include:

Vanessa Ruiz: President
Zayoni Torres: Vice President
Jessica Aguirre: Sergeant at Arms and Treasurer
Yomaira Pena: Standards
Wendy Ayala: Public Relations
Karina Mendoza: National Representative
Rachel Mendivil: Traditions

To view upcoming events occurring in the sorority, click here.

To contact the sorority, click here.