On October 22, 1989, a group of women gathered at the Chicano Native American Cultural Center to form an organization of Latina/Hispanic women at the University of Iowa. Their goal was to form a group that would provide social and academic support to Latinas/Hispanics and women of all cultures.
Due to the hard work and dedication of these women as well as the assistance of Esther Materón-Arum and Mary Peterson, on April 9, 1990, the women were recognized as a sorority by the IFC/Panhellenic council of the University of Iowa. This is the day Sigma Lambda Gamma Sorority recognized as its founding date.
At the end of the fall 1990 semester, the five Founding Mothers - Gloria Cuevas, Julieta Miller, Maria Pineda, Danell Riojas, and Guadalupe Temiquel - spent countless hours with Founding Grandmother, Esther Materón-Arum, working on the first manuals that would allow the sorority to continue to grow. On April 9, 1991, the first group of Associate Members - Patricia Arroyo, Noemi Diaz, Angel Martinez, Seema Singh, and Gabriela Villafuerte - were initiated into the lifelong sisterhood that is Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority Incorporated.
Today, Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority Incorporated has chapters from coast to coast, established alumnae associations and numerous colonies around the country, and continues to grow each day.
National website: http://sigmalambdagamma.com
