As a culturally diverse campus, our Greek community embraces chapters that dedicate their time to various minority communities.

Alpha Pi Sigma is a Latina based chapter on campus. The president of Alpha Pi Sigma, Alejandra Velasquez, explained what sets the women of the CSUSM chapter apart from others.

“Alpha Pi Sigma promotes members academically, personally and professionally. The ladies of Alpha Pi Sigma pride themselves in holding their education in highest regard. They believe that campus involvement, academic achievements, leadership guidance and community service are all ways to become successful women,” said Velasquez.

Velasquez said how important her letters are to her.

“Wearing my letters means that I hold myself to a higher standard. It’s also the representation of my contribution to the organization so far. In my letters I see the sisterhood that I will carry on past my undergrad years, which stand for Amigas Para Siempre.”

Though Alpha Pi Sigma is a Latina based sorority, Velasquez said, “We do not calculate the percentage of our membership, but we count the diversity we each have beyond where we come from. Our organization does not discriminate towards any race. Our connection to being a Latina based sorority is that we give back to the Latino Community through our consistent volunteer work.”

An example of how they contribute to the Latino community is the altar they set up for Día de los Muertos, a celebration hosted by M.E.Ch.A. every year.

“We honor those who have impacted our lives and that are not with us anymore, but will always be in our hearts,” she said.

If you are interested in getting to know the ladies of Alpha Pi Sigma, a great opportunity would be to attend their upcoming philanthropic fundraising event, Annual Bowling Night, which will be held Oct. 29 for Breast Cancer Awareness.

They also give out four scholarships each semester to a high school student, a CSUSM student, an AB 540 student and a member of Alpha Pi Sigma. The scholarship applications open mid-semester and the sorority hosts a dinner for the recipients at the end of the semester. Be sure to attend their annual Culture Expo on Nov. 12 in order to increase your cultural awareness in our community.