Educating, Informing, and Empowering the Community Through Annual Workshop

New York, NY, July 31, 2007– This year Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha, Inc. (SIA) hosted its 8th Annual Summer Leadership Conference. In the month of July, SIA’s graduate chapters (Gamma Alpha, Gamma Beta, Gamma Delta, Gamma Gamma and Gamma Epsilon) hosted conferences in the States of Maryland, Illinois, Florida and New York, respectively. The theme of this year’s conference was “Success.” Each conference provided a day of educational workshops open to sorority members and the general public ranging from topics on health, financial success to tips on how to get involved in the community.

SIA’s Summer Leadership Conference originated in the North East Region and has expanded to other regions such as the Mid-West, Mid-Atlantic and the South-East region. Ivone De Jesus, National President explains, “It was important to expand our resources to communities in other regions.” This year, the R.O.S.E. program was an integral part of the conference. The R.O.S.E. program is an educational initiative developed by Ms. De Jesus and administered through the graduate chapter members who serve as mentors to young girls. “It is exciting to see this program take off at our annual conferences as we truly believe it will make an impact in the lives of young girls,” said Ms. De Jesus.

On July 21, 2007, the Gamma Alpha Graduate/Alumnae Chapter hosted their Summer Leadership Conference at the University of Maryland at College Park. This year’s conference was titled “Balancing Work and Life.” It consisted of workshops ranging in topics from the value of community service, professional networking, academic success to women’s health. All attendees were actively involved in working together and creating a database to be used for all regional members and attendees as a useful resource in various areas of both work and life. The conference concluded with the distribution of The Anuario Hispano (Hispanic Yearbook) – a resource guide sponsored by the Federal government as well as other firms in the country which provides information on professional, cultural, and health services provided to Latino Americans across the nation. “The Gamma Alpha Executive Board was excited to not only share the information with our guests, but to distribute a copy of the yearbook so that each attendee could have their own personal resource guide,” said Maggie Ortiz.

In the Mid-West region, the Gamma Beta Graduate/Alumnae Chapter held their Summer Leadership Conference, titled “Defining Success” at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The workshops were interactive and educational, informing the audience on the options available for school funding and other more personal topics, such as achieving success through one’s self truth. "The thing that I enjoyed the most was that it not only touched upon the various aspects of life that help us to define success, whether it be through education or personal advancement, but it also catered to the entire audience. The topics were relevant to those that were still in the midst of their college careers as well as those that were already in the corporate world," says Angela Vazquez.

The North-East region’s Summer Leadership Conference, entitled "Keys for Success," was also held on July 21 at St. John's University by the newly formed Gamma Gamma and Gamma Epsilon Graduate/Alumnae Chapters. The conference focused on three areas of success: Financial Success, Career Success, and Personal Success. The workshops were all informative and engaging. The speakers discussed how to achieve financial stability and more specific topics such as how to purchase a home. “It was gratifying to witness the interaction between speakers and participants. The informative workshops will help the attendees achieve various levels of success,” says Eva Barahona, Regional Director for the Gamma Epsilon Graduate/Alumnae Chapter.

The Gamma Delta Graduate/Alumnae Chapter of the South-East region hosted their first Summer Leadership Conference, titled “Dimensions of Success,” on July 14, 2007 at the University of Central Florida. The recently formed Graduate Chapter held an intimate conference which proved to be very informative and useful for those in attendance. The workshops focused on topics such as ESOL Programs and ways of understanding the school system to topics on drug abuse and how to detect and confront someone with a drug addiction. “The workshops were very rewarding, especially those that discussed the school system since a lot of those in attendance currently have children in school,” says Jessica Puentes.

About Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha, Inc. (SIA):
SIA was founded in New York on September 29, 1990 by thirteen Latina women with the purpose of creating an organization that would help their communities, unite women, promote the Latino culture and uphold a set of distinct goals. Our dedication to scholarship, service and professional development within the Latino community has grown beyond New York, with chapters in several states including: New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, California, Texas, Illinois, Michigan, Maryland, Virginia, Connecticut, and Florida.

We are more than a sorority; we are a family and network of professional, strong and dedicated women leaders. We are also a 501(c)7 tax-exempt organization and we work in conjunction with the Solidaridad Inspiracion Amistad Community Foundation, Inc.- a 501(c)3 Community Foundation committed to scholarship, service and professional development within Latino communities nationally. Together, we administer a national scholarship fund for incoming college freshmen who demonstrate academic merit, service to communities in need and exemplary leadership capabilities.   For more information, please visit www.hermandad-sia.org.

About SIAs R.O.S.E. (Reaching Others through Service and Education) Program:

The R.O.S.E. program is an educational initiative developed by Ivone De Jesus (H. Exaltada) and administered by SIA's alumnae/graduate chapters. This mentorship program serves young women, primarily Latinas, ages 14-18 years old.  R.O.S.E. encourages service, scholarship and personal development in order to create leaders within our communities while providing the tools necessary to succeed. Latinas need to know that college and professional careers are rewarding options and ones they can achieve.  For more information on the R.O.S.E. program and how to join, please visit www.hermandad-sia.org/Rose.

Contact: Wendy Toribio
Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha, Inc.
marketing@hermandad-sia.org
www.hermandad-sia.org