Latina Sorority at UGA

by Nora Cobb

After a year and a half of hard work, the Lambda Theta Alpha Latina Sorority, Inc. was established at the University of Georgia on April 10, 2005. Sandra Sosa, who got people interested in the idea along with nine founding sisters (three are alumni and six are currently active on campus), envisioned a university sorority that would support Latinas on campus while providing them with many opportunities. Seeing as this will be their first year on campus, Lambda Theta Alpha looks forward to working with various student organizations at UGA. Ashley Reagin, 2005-2006 Latina sorority president, expresses her enthusiasm by stating, "I'm really excited about the upcoming year, we have a lot of events planned and hope to show UGA what Lambda Theta Alpha is about."

Currently, the sorority has more than 70 undergraduate, alumnae and graduate chapters in 18 states. With a strong National Board of Directors to govern the organization, each chapter is insured coverage.

Lambda Theta Alpha Latina Sorority, Inc. is the first and largest in the nation and has won awards for three consecutive years. The sorority, based on the principles of unity, love and respect was established in 1975 at Kean University in New Jersey and was incorporated as an academic sorority just three years later. Its founders aspired to provide a voice for the minority and to insure women of Latina decent the opportunity to participate in social, political and community service activities.

The sorority believes that its success lies in community service and philanthropy. Though Lambda Theta Alpha's founding mothers were of Latina decent, the women loved learning about and rediscovering their culture. It is for this reason that the sorority wants to reach out to different cultures, to learn from each other. The sorority has contributed time an effort working with Equal Opportunity Fund Program for students, March of Dimes, AIDS walks, shelters, and soup kitchens to mention a few.

Although it is a Latina sorority, Lambda Theta Alpha welcomes women of all ethnicities. The sisters do not discriminate against women based on race, color, background or creed. The sorority features women from across the globe, from the Americas and the Caribbean to the Middle East and Asia, and anywhere in between. It is in this sorority that president Ashley Reagin has found not only a very diverse group of women, but has established "the most meaningful friendships of [her] life."

For more information on the UGA chapter, visit: www.uga.edu/lta or e-mail lta.delta.alpha@gmail.com.

To find out more about Lambda Theta Alpha Latina Sorority, Inc., visit their national website at: www.lambdalady.org or e-mail info@lambdalady.org.