Alumni Weekend

 On Saturday I headed out to UC Santa Barbara for an Hermanas Unidas alumni event. The weather was rainy and I got lost trying to find the San Nicolas dorms. I walked in late and they had already started. There were about 25 girls sitting around a table given introductions and they looked to me for my intro. I gave my name and I saw a few girls glance at each other. Then I told them that I was one of the HaU UCSB co-founders. There was an audible gasp and I got all uncomfortable in my chair.

The event was well organized and filled with different activities that allowed the alumni to get to know each other and the current members that attended. After the event ended we ended up on the back patio. The view was amazing and I reminded myself how lucky I was for being able to have gone to school here. And then kicked myself for ever moving away. As with all HaU events there were lots of picture being taken. A handful of girls wanted a photo with me. (Thanks Ladies! This will keep my ego inflated for months. My husband and kids thank you!)

I love these kind of events. And it is true that Vero and I did the leg work and the paper work to get the organization up and running back in 1999. And that was a lot of work, but it is nothing compared to what the girls that followed us have done. They have taken our baby and nurtured it and raised it to be a powerful strong organization. They are putting together events like Mentor, and Project TJ. They are networking with other organizations on campus, they are holding fundraisers and charity events. Even the alumni that I got to chat with were using skills they learned from being an Hermana out in the real world. They are simple amazing.  Doing things that I could only dream of. One of our biggest goals was to win Organization of the Year at UCSB. These girls have done it. More than once. That is bad-ass! I am in awe of these girls who love Hermanas Unidas and who have the same spirit and drive that Vero and I had all those years ago. Vero and I may have started this, but YOU keep it alive and thriving.

I am so proud.