Syracuse University is now home to the newest chapter of the first Latina sorority in the United States.

Lambda Theta Alpha introduced itself to the SU community Thursday night in an event dubbed the “Coming Out Show” on the steps of Hendricks Chapel. LTA was founded on Dec. 1, 1975 at Kean University in Union, New Jersey. On Thursday night, a group of 24 SU women became a part of LTA’s Zeta Epsilon chapter, the second largest pledge class in LTA’s national organization.

Although it was originally founded by a group of women of Latin, Caribbean and European descent, LTA is a sorority that goes by the motto of being “Latin by tradition, not by definition.” All races and ethnicities are welcomed to join.

Abi Zambrana, a senior policy studies and economics major, first heard about LTA in her hometown of Los Angeles. Zambrana said she has been very involved in campus life since the start of her time at SU, but she didn’t necessarily have a “sisterhood.”

“I was very interested in finding that sisterhood and being a part of a sisterhood where we are all together as one, striving for a better community or striving for success individually as well as everyone around us,” she said.

This is the second time that Lambda Theta Alpha attempted to establish itself at SU. Zambrana said another group tried to bring the sorority to campus in 2005, but did not succeed mainly due to lack of interest. This time around, the group of students gathered together to start the process early, traveling to nearby chapters to get advice from current sisters.

Taylor Shields, a senior child and family studies major, was one of the first sisters on board to bring the organization to campus. She said while she initially felt Greek life was not for her, she soon got caught up in the ideals and values of LTA.

“It just felt right,” Shields said. “You can’t really explain it, you just know that that’s for you.”

Lambda Theta Alpha is a politically, socially and educationally driven organization that stands for unity, love and respect, according to the sorority’s website. Zambrana was immediately drawn to the sorority for its political and social activism roots, saying that it would give her a chance to give back to the Syracuse community.

“We have a lot of plans coming up that (will) encourage anyone to sign up. We don’t want it to just be the 24 of us doing the community service. We strongly believe in getting the whole campus involved,” Zambrana said.

The sorority is not just for Latina women and Shawnte Wright, an African American student, is also one of the 24 founding sisters. Wright said that she was worried about “sticking out” among her line of sisters. She was also nervous about what her family’s reaction would be when she told them that she was a sister in LTA.

“So when I went home and explained, they were like, ‘So what, you’re not black anymore?’ But no, it’s not like that at all,” said Wright, a senior international relations and broadcast and digital journalism dual major. “(LTA is) there to support the universal woman. My sisters support me no matter what, they’ll love me no matter what.”

Although they just presented themselves to the SU community this past Thursday, the process of bringing it to campus was a long one. Shields said she is extremely proud and excited for her sisters.

Walking out at the end of the line during the “Coming Out Show,” Shields reflected on the process that had brought her and her sisters to that very moment.

“It was just amazing to think that two years ago there were five of us in a library, secretly talking about bringing something to campus,” Shields said. “To see 23 other individuals in front of me, that was just like a major wow moment for me.”

Published on November 5, 2014 at 12:01 am

Contact Madysan: mgfoltz@syr.edu | @madysangabriele