Saturday evening the Rho chapter of Lambda Pi Chi celebrated its 10th anniversary as N.C. State’s first Latina sorority.

During a banquet held in the Washington Sankofa Room of Witherspoon Student Center, current sorority members expressed their gratitude for the six women who founded the Rho chapter of Lambda Pi Chi ten years ago.

Emceed by hermanas Jennifer Bollman, a senior in communication, and Brittney Garcia, a senior majoring in international studies, the event highlighted the principles of Latinas Promoviendo Comunidad: la comunidad, la cultura latina and la hermandad.

Two video presentations reflected Lambda Pi Chi’s dedication to la community of N.C. State. Photo montages set to grandiose classical music depicted a rich history of community service and female empowerment.

Exemplifying the spirit of la cultura latina, the sorority presented Sube Ritmo, N.C. State’s Latin dance team, who performed a blend of salsa, merengue and bachata.

The founding members in attendance embodied the sorority’s motto of “La hermandad nunca termina – Siblinghood never ends,” as many traveled across the country to gather Saturday evening.

Founding hermana Andrea Duhon spoke of the strong sense of la hermandad in the sorority, noting that, “We don’t always get to see each other, but whenever we come back together it feels like we’ve never left; the bond that we formed is truly for a lifetime.” 

At the event the founding members saw their legacy extended outside of their own sorority through interaction with the newly established Asian sorority Kappa Phi Lambda.

“Tonight, the Asian Greek sorority came up to us and mentioned how excited they were to now be on campus, it affirmed that our vision went beyond the Latino community and transcended into the broader North Carolina community,” said founding hermana Irene Godíndez.

Duhon went on to emphasize the timely significance of the sorority’s foundation, noting that it coincided with the establishment of Mi Familia and the genesis of a more vocal Latin community on campus.

“We were a big group of kids who wanted to have something that belonged to us, and we were trying to find an avenue to do it,” said Duhon. “It’s exciting to see how things have developed at the University and how much of a voice the sorority has now.”

The event took place in conjunction with a presentation by Javier León Padilla of Alliance of AIDS Services Carolina. Proceeds from the event were donated to benefit the organization’s outposts in Raleigh.