On November 4, 2008 active house sisters hosted an election day party as Chi Sigs show their patriotism and excercised their right to vote for the next president of the United States.
The sisters of Chi Sigma Alpha congratulate Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois as the 44th president.
Thank you to all the hard work of 2008-2009 executive cabinet president Latana Thaviseth for all her hard work in creating Chi Sigma Alpha's MU class rush video!And of course a big thanks to all the ladies who contributed to this awesome video and for everyone's continued hard work during rush!!!
Locks of Love is a non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under the age of 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. The mission of Locks of Love is to "return a sense of self, confidence and normalcy to children suffering from hair loss by utilizing donated ponytails to provide the highest quality hair prosthetics to financially disadvantaged children."
There are several general guidelines that must be followed for those interested in donating their hair. The minimum donation requirement is 10 inches from tip to tip. If hair is layered, the longest layer must measure 10 inches. The shorter layers will be separated out and sold to offset the manufacturing costs. Permed and colored hair donations are acceptable as long as the hair has not been previously bleached. Permed or curly hair can be pulled straight to meet the 10 inch requirement. Donations must be sent to Locks of Love in a ponytail or in a braid.
Today, I hacked off about 12 inches to donate to Locks of Love. This was my second time donating my hair to the organization. Though it does take some time to get use to having a much shorter hair length, I think the the benefits of donating really outweighs the difficulties of letting go of your hair. And of course, remembering that you still have the ability to grow your hair back if you choose to, while the child receiving your hair is unable to. Here are a few photos of my hair before, during, and after the cutting.
Please visit www.LocksOfLove.org for additional information about the organization or for more detailed guidelines for donating.
The Catholic Community Services teamed up with Seattle Housing Authority in 1991 to begin a youth tutoring program.Tutoring centers provide a safe environment for children that is both academically stimulating and enriching.The program relies heavily on community members to volunteer their time as tutors.Students are given the opportunity to receive additional academic support on an individual basis.The five Youth Tutoring Program centers are located within five of Seattle’s low-income public housing communities.
Youth Tutoring Program runs two programs over the course of the year.The primary program is the school year program.Volunteers who participate in this program provide additional support for students in the first through twelfth grades.During the school year, volunteers help students with their homework and strengthen reading and math skills.The organization understands that it is difficult to dedicate a set time every day to the program, so the organization requires a minimum of only two hours a week for six months.The flexibility that the program offers its volunteers is to ensure that volunteers keep their commitment to the days and times that the volunteer selects.
The second program that the organization provides to the youth is a Summer Reading Program.The summer program’s primary focus is reading skills.However, they may also incorporate some writing skills such as summarization.The summer program also requires a minimum of two hours per week but only for seven weeks.The summer program only enrolls students in first through sixth grade.The summer program is also split into two separate sessions.The early readers’ program is for students in the first and second grades.The late readers’ consists of students in third through sixth grade.
During the summer, I was a volunteer for the summer reading program at the Rainier Vista Center in south Seattle.The seven weeks truly does go by quickly.The minimum requirement of only two hours per week is easy to meet and the center is truly willing to work with volunteers in coordinating schedules.It is absolutely crucial that volunteers are dedicated to the time commitment they make at the beginning of the program as the children depend on their volunteer to be there.With my early reader, much of our time was focused on basic reading skills (phonetics, vowel sounds, etc.).With my late reader, the focus varied between reading skills (increasing reading levels) and also reading comprehension (summarizing).Though the seven weeks will pass by quickly, the impact that a volunteer can have on a student may be such a strong and positive experience that it remains with them for many years and vice versa.
Please visit the Youth Tutoring Progams’ website for more information if you are interested in becoming a volunteer.
Wing Luke – Exploring Asian America through Expression and Art
Exquisite pieces of Asian Pacific Islander American (APIA) culture, history, and art are displayed, bringing a large community closer together.
Right in our back yard.
The Wing Luke Asian Museum (www.wingluke.org,) located in Seattle, WA, is home to a community-based exhibition functioning as a fluid collection celebrating the multicultural Asian Pacific American community. The new 60,000 square foot building, nearly 8 times larger than its previous location, is the result of major recent renovations. The museum renovation was celebrated with a grand opening on June 1, 2008.
Chi Sigma Alpha’s very own co-founder, Elizabeth Shaiken, is a museum assistant at the Wing Luke Asian Museum. I sat down with Liz to ask about her experiences at the museum.
With the Wing Luke Asian Museum in Seattle as the only accredited pan-Asian Pacific American museum in the United States, I was curious about the exposure of APIA culture and art in our community. “I feel Asian American art is still something new that many individuals in and outside the APIA communities are continuously learning to appreciate and find a connection,” Liz comments.
What brings life to the museum are the local artists who are present to share their insights. “Understanding APIA art sometimes means having to understand the experiences the artist has gone through,” says Liz, whose favorite piece is June Sekiguchi's "A Separate Reality", part of the Museum's "How the Soy Sauce Was Bottled: Uncommon Stories of Common Objects" exhibit (Summer and Fall, 2007).
As far as her involvement at the museum, she reflects that the museum inspires her to stay connected to the APIA community locally and globally. She shares, “The museum has helped broaden my ties to and knowledge of the community both on a personal and professional level in learning about the issues and concerns different communities face in a variety of topics.”
How can you get involved in the conversation? “There are several ways for students and the community to get involved," say Liz, "We have volunteer and internship opportunities available. Or simply visit us; our exhibits constantly change, providing for new perspectives on new issues.”
The Wing Luke Asian Museum is a powerful avenue in which to publicly display the struggles and joys of APIA history and culture. Liz reflects, “Asian American art is usually overtly politicized and addresses certain key issues (for example immigration, assimilation, stereotypes) of being Asian American in past, present, and future society.”
Like many of our sisters, you may also be in the process of studying for graduate studies entrance exams (i.e. GREs, LSATs, etc.).And if you happen to be like me, you unabashedly avoid studying for the verbal section.It is often suggested that in order to increase one’s vocabulary, one should read, read, and read some more.This suggestion is not always appealing as time constraints may not allow you to read enough, you don’t enjoy reading, or you simply feel that you do enough reading studying for your classes.So while taking a Kaplan GRE preparatory course (this was the only way that I could foresee myself actually studying for the verbal section), my instructor introduced us to a website that would act as a study aide.
FreeRice is dedicated to fighting hunger by providing rice to those in need.The organization has created a vocabulary game where the user simply clicks on one of four word choices that is most similar to the given word.For each correct answer, FreeRice donates 20 grains of rice.While playing the vocabulary game, you may notice various company banners or advertisements on the bottom of the vocabulary screen.It is these sponsors that are financially enabling FreeRice to donate the grains of rice.All funds and donations are submitted directly to the United Nations World Food Program which works with over 3,000 other organizations in over 75 countries.To learn more about the UN World Food Program, please visit www.wfp.org.
While studying may not always be appealing, FreeRice provides a means to study that may at least appeal to your humanitarian side.Whether you need to study for a vocabulary test or you are just bored, visitwww.FreeRice.com and play their vocabulary game and aide in the fight against world hunger.
Additional websites worth visiting:
To learn more about the hunger crisis and what else you can do to make a difference, visit www.FriendsOfWFP.org.
To simply become more knowledgeable about world hunger, visit www.Poverty.com.
On June 29, 2008 my college roommate of three years and fellow founding sister Kathy Wen took a stroll down the aisle and became a married woman to husband Benjamin Chen. The wedding ceremony was held at the First Congregational Church of Palo Alto in Palo Alto, California. There family and friends of both the bride and groom celebrated their union and the beginning of this next chapter in their lives.
Needless to say Kathy was beautiful and glowing as she came down the aisle with her father in arm. The ceremony was intimate and meaningful as the couple gave their vows and pledged their commitment to each other in front of their loved ones.
The reception was held at Ming's a nearby Chinese restaurant where guests were treated to a scrumptious multi-course meal. Touching speeches were made by Kathy's dad, Ben's mom, maid of honor Sandy Wen (and kathy's older sis!), and Ben's best man Zach Jonasson. Guests enjoyed a special treat when Kathy sang for her new husband (the rest of us got to enjoy it too!). Everyone young and old danced the night away in celebration of this special occasion.
The sisters of Chi Sigma Alpha National Sorority, Inc. would like to congratulate our newly installed sisters of the Alpha Chapter at the University of Washington, in Seattle.
On Saturday, May 31st of 2008, the Alpha Chapter formally installed the sisters of their Kappa Class and Lambda Class. We wish you the best on your future endeavors within the sorority and look forward to your amazing achievements as a sister of Chi Sigma Alpha.
Please join us in extending our most heartfelt congratulations to our newest sisters (in alphabetical order):
Kappa Class of the Alpha Chapter: Jennifer Kim, Ellise Uyema, Mayleen Vuong, Betty Yan, and Gina Yim.
Lambda Class of the Alpha Chpater: Lauren Akamine, Jesamine Fernandez, Jolana Gollero, and Sonia Yu.
Saturday, June 21, 2008 9 a.m.-5 p.m. PT Seattle, WA
Chi Sigma Alpha hosted its first all-sister "Training Day" to bring together alumni, actives, associates for a packed day of fun interactive workshops, networking and planning. We kicked off the communications series of our newly developed leadership training courses.
Agenda 9-10 Registration & complimentary breakfast 10-12 Public Speaking Workshops 12-1 Networking Lunch 1-2:30 P-K workshops 2:30-3 Special Presentation 3-4 Town Hall Meeting
If you are a sister of Chi Sigma Alpha and would like like workshop materials from Training Day, please email chisigmaalpha@gmail.com
The Alpha Chapter of Chi Sigma Alpha at the University of Washington, hosted its fourth annual Music 4 Life benefit show at the Museum of History and Industry's McEachern Auditorium on April 25, 2008. Over 200 people attended the event hosted by Chi Sigma Alpha's very own Latana Thaviseth and Jasmin Lafradez, along with David Fung. A highlight of the event included a performance by the ChiSig dance team, performing an eight minute long routine choreographed by Monique Perkins (Alpha Chapter, Zeta Class). Check out the dance on YouTube!
From donations from members of the local community and fundraising done by the sisters throughout the year, 100% of the proceeds were donated to the chapter's local and national philanthropies: the Make A WishFoundation and the Experimental Education Unitat the University of Washington. Learn more about Chi Sigma Alpha's philanthropic efforts here!
The Music 4 Life benefit show has been held yearly as the Alpha Chapter's main fundraiser for their local and national philanthropies. Months of organizing, seeking donations, and fundraising for the show make each year's efforts worthwhile. The sisters collectively seek support from their local community, advertising and holding talent auditions several weeks prior to the event. Olivia Sengsi (Alpha Chapter, Theta Class), who helped coordinate the event, states "It is a great opportunity for local artists to promote themselves as well as participate in a great cause." Artists, who volunteered their time for the show, included rappers, singers, the UW Lambda Phi Epsilon step team, and dancers.
The sisters of Chi Sigma Alpha at UW were thrilled with the overwhelming amount of enthusiasm and support at the event, which saw greater attendance and donations from the previous year's benefit show held on the UW campus. The fifth annual Music 4 Life benefit show will be held during late spring 2009. Contact chisigs@u.washington.edu if you are interested in donating to, performing at, or attending next year's fifth annual event.
