It's been three months since I have become a sister of Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc. We are the FIRST Latina sorority. Despite myself not being Latinx, I chose my sisterhood based on its priorities and the genuine comaraderie I saw amongst sisters as well as their devotion to academics. Lambda Ladies are go-getters, who don't let barriers keep them from pursuing their passions and making a name for themselves. Lambda Ladies fight for our communities and speaks up for the unheard. We are Latin by tradition, not by definition.

Okay, that was my basic spiel about my sorority. But why did I decide to join a sorority at all? Once upon a time, I was severely anti-Greek. I did not dislike Greek life; I just didn't see myself actually partaking in it. There was so much required to be a member; it wasn't simply a sisterhood or brotherhood that you party, gossip, and have exciting adventures with (thanks movies for giving off this false perception). You have to put in work. That sounds like I am lazy, but I promise I'm not. It's when I am putting in work that I thrive the most, actually. With working hard, I have learned how to prioritize and identify what is best for me to pursue. Before last semster, I knew that I was not ready to commit myself to all the duties of Greekdom. I was just figuring out college life and finding an understanding of myself. I knew that if I did join a sorority, it wouldn't be for the letters. It'd be because I felt passionate and true about its mission.

So what the heck happened?

I met my mentor, Susan, in Connect 4 during my first year at Iowa State. When we first met, I found out that she is a founding sister of Zeta Gamma Chapter of Lambda Theta Alpha.

For those who aren't Greek, sororities and fraternities break off into chapters. For example, Alpha Chapter (the first, "The Motherland") of LTA was established at Kean University. Zeta Gamma Chapter is also LTA, but it was established at Iowa State University. These are different chapters of the same organization.

Susan and I spent our lunch talking, and she started to talk to me about her sisterhood. I was really impressed because of their contribution to the community, so our conversation delved deeper into what LTA was really about. I was new to learning about Greek life, especially the Multicultural Greek Council.  After about a thirty minute (quite conveneient) PowerPoint about LTA, I was really excited and thought that if I were to ever join a sorority, I would probably go burgundy and gray. Nevertheless, I did not pursue it at the time because of what I said earlier: I wasn't ready to commit myself. If I went for it, I wanted to go for it wholeheartedly.


I kept in touch with Susan because she is an awesome person, and I was inspired by her. She was majoring in Public Relations, so she was vital in helping me learn more about the industry and the possibilities I could have down that route. Occasionally she would bring up LTA, but she never made it a big deal about it. (Later on, she told me that she wanted me to find my own way there; if it was meant to be, it'd happen. Subtle....which is not like Susan at all, so this is funny in hindsight.)

It was not until Fall 2017 that I made up my mind: I wanted to go Greek. I was ready to pursue something that meant a lot to me, and I wanted to have a sisterhood. At this time, I was also the PR Chair for the Black Student Alliance, and one of my sisters was on the board as well. I talked to her about my interest, and she was beyond elated! She invited me to LTA's Open Espresso, which is basically an informational about the sorority. From then on out, it was fair game. I was all in.

A couple months later, I was officially a sister of Lambda Theta Alpha. I am the Duece of El Naciemento de Una Nueva Era, and am lucky to have two other line sisters who crossed with me. The process was definitely difficult, but do I regret it? No. I am SO proud to have my letters and be able to show the world what sisters of LTA can do.