Sigma Lambda Alpha sorority hosts annual women’s 5K
To celebrate Women’s History Month and to promote women’s awareness, the Sigma Lambda Alpha sorority members held their third annual Women’s Awareness 5K at Sikes Lake on March 27. Thirteen runners participated.
Estafani Vasquez, biology and chemistry freshman and vice president of Sigma Lambda Alpha said, “We’re doing it [the 5K] to promote women’s health and exercise so we thought why not do a 5K as the event.”
The proceeds made from entry into the 5K go to the scholarships that the sorority gives out at their annual banquet.
“We really hope that people would come out and support us, especially for the scholarships because they are given to Midwestern State University students. We really think if students come out and support and sign up for the scholarships, they see that we are actually helping out our community not just for our own benefit,” Vasquez said.
Vasquez said it is important to Sigma Lambda Alpha to support women’s awareness and encourage women’s empowerment.
“We are really big on female empowerment and we like for women to be able to go out and do things that aren’t ordinary tasks and in our sorority. We love to empower women to go out and do good in their communities, studies, work, or whatever it may be,” Vasquez said.
Frida Arredondo, Spanish senior and social chair of Sigma Lambda Alpha said the 5K is a good event to promote women’s awareness because it helps to encourage others support as well.
“For me, it is really important to support women’s awareness because we all need to support each other woman to woman, but also men too, so it is good that other men can come out and also see the importance of that,” Arredondo said.
Arredondo said it is important to Sigma Lambda Alpha to put on events like these, because the sorority was founded on the basis of wanting more opportunities for women.
“Our sorority was Latina based and back when it was founded, they wanted more opportunities for women in general but specifically Latinas, but now that we are more diverse it is even more important. One of the reasons we created this sorority was to help other woman succeed and know they can do anything and we all have each other’s back,” Arredondo said.
Isidro Zaragoza, a tenth-grade student at Wichita Falls High School was the first to finish, winning a gift card to Texas Roadhouse and a Midwestern State University T-shirt.
Zaragoza said he attended the run because he enjoys exercising and wanted to represent his Road to College program.
“The Road to College program is for high school and middle school students to start them thinking about and preparing for college, and I think it is great that the proceeds go to the student scholarships,” Zaragoza said.
