Hi – muchisimas gracias for checking out our newsletter!
My name’s Orlando (Spring ‘17 Grady College), and I’m serving as the President for the Latino Alumni Council (LAC) this year.
Before I joined LAC, I was settling back in Georgia in 2022 and was nervous about how I would find community. But when I attended one of the LAC’s events, everyone was so quick to welcome me, help me connect with other Latino/Hispanic Dawgs, and support one another in our careers and lives. I never forgot the support the LAC gave me, so it’s been a true honor and privilege to carry the torch and continue that support for our community.
This past year, we’ve been hard at work expanding the council’s events and initiatives to meet the needs of our alumni and student community in this day and age.
Meeting Students Where They Are
To kick off the school year, we hosted the UGA International Coffee Hour in Athens, where students could connect and get involved with a plethora of Latino/Hispanic student organizations. Students also got to celebrate our culture by learning how to salsa dance, thanks to Heather Fletcher of TIMBAthens. We also tabled to connect with students, so they know the UGA community can continue after graduation.
Excelling with Partnerships
We have also been deepening our partnerships with UGA’s other affinity councils — the Black Alumni Council, Women of UGA, and the Young Alumni Council — because we know that many of our identities overlap with these groups.
We are grateful for their support, because with their help, we hosted our largest-ever attended Ugly Sweater Christmas Party at Wild Leap Brewery last December, which also featured a live Latin drum performance from Sunny Ortiz & Eddie Glikin. The turnout also helped increase the amount of donations for our Toy Drive, which were donated to our partner, LaAmistad, a nonprofit that provides social and academic support for Latino/Hispanic students.
It Takes a Village
None of this would be possible, though, without our incredible council members and community of Latino/Hispanic Alumni.
Our council members’ phenomenal experience, talent, and hard work are the reasons this council is reaching new heights of impact.
And if you have attended one of our events, donated, volunteered, spread the word, and even given us a follow and like on social media, from the bottom of my heart, muchisimas gracias for your support!
I’m excited to say that we still have a lot more in store this year, so please stay tuned in the following ways!
- Subscribe to our newsletter
- And if you have any feedback or would like to share your thoughts for the council, please take this survey: [Insert survey section here]
Sinceramente,
Orlando Burgos Pimentel (ABJ ’17)
President, Latino Alumni Council
