Newcomers and upperclassmen met in the Ronnie Williams Student Center Aug. 31 to paint and relax in an event put together by Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha.
The event was for students on campus to meet and be introduced to Sigma Iota Alpha. As students filed in to paint, some calming Latin music was put on as background noise.
“[It’s] just a stress reliever, so they can paint whatever they want,” sophomore SIA member Neyla Palacios said.
The students were supplied with canvas, paint and brushes. Some students went to Pinterest and social media for inspiration on what to paint.
“I’m painting some flowers. I’m gonna be Bob Ross today,” Jennifer Perez said in between laughter.
“I’m thinking about [painting] something Spongebob-inspired,” freshman Mallory Place said.
Sigma Iota Alpha is the only predominantly Latina sorority on campus.
“We’re a Latina-based sorority but not exclusive. Anyone can join, but we’re really about promoting the Latino culture and sharing that culture with the campus,” junior SIA member Dianne Trujillo said.
“We’re inclusive regardless if you’re Latina or not,” SIA’s Community Service Chairwoman Yasmin Reyes said.
As community service chairwoman, Reyes is tasked with finding ways that SIA can get involved in the community.
“I look for community service opportunities on and off campus. I try to look for volunteer opportunities that have to do with our community like immigration offices or anything like that because the point of this is to give back to our community. It’s about giving back and showing younger students who may be from immigrant families that it is possible to get to college,” Reyes said.
“[Joining SIA] is the best decision I’ve made. We’re a really tight-knit community and we know everybody. We really build connections with each other, and I know if I need help, the girls will help me. I really love this organization,” Reyes said.
SIA is putting on more events this September, “We have a lot more events coming up in September, including our SIA week. SIA week is the first full week in September where we have different events promoting the organization from Monday through Friday,” Trujillo said.
