Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc. () is the first and largest intercollegiate Latina-based

sorority In North America, fraternities and sororities ( and ) are social clubs at colleges and universities. They are sometimes collectively referred to as Greek life or Greek-letter organizations, as well as collegiate fraternities or collegiate sorori ...

. It was established in 1975 at

Kean University Kean University () is a public university in Union Township, Union County, New Jersey, Union, Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth, and Hillside, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education and is a state-designated rese ...

. It has expanded to 150 undergraduate chapters and 30 alumnae chapters. The sorority was a member of the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations.

History

Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc. was founded on December 1, 1975, at Kean College in Union Township, New Jersey, by seventeen women who sought to create a sisterhood that would provide support for Latina students in higher education. Keen College introduced bilingual studies, as well as a Latino and Caribbean Studies Department in 1975, allowing women of Latin descent whose first language was not English to attended the college. Recognizing the need for an organization that represented their cultural background and addressed the specific challenges faced by Latina students, the founders established the sorority that was "committed to empowering women, fostering leadership, and advocating for cultural awareness and social justice". It also emphasized keeping its members in college. Founding Mothers original

Lambda Theta Alpha was the first Latina-based sorority in the United States. It was established by seventeen women who are recognized as the Founding Mothers of the organization, including Ileana Almaguer, Cecilia Alvarez, Carmen Baez, Karen Capra, Doris Cruz, Arlene Fernandez, Eneida Figueroa, Maria Gautier, Teresa Gonzalez, Dra. Thomasa Gonzalez, Diana Ibarria, Lillian Marrero, Ofelia Oviedo, Linda Perez, Aurora "Dory" Rodriguez, Maria del Carmen Vega, and Marilyn Wyatt. Kean College recognized the sorority in 1975. The sorority initiated its first line on December 17, 1979. Over time, Lambda Theta Alpha expanded beyond Kean College, forming chapters across New Jersey.Lurding, Carroll and Becque, Fran. (January 17, 2025)
Women's Organizations
.
Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities
'. Urbana: University of Illinois. Accessed April 10, 2025. Lambda Theta Alpha established a board of directors in 1987. It held its first national convention in 1991. In 1992, the sorority established its first chapter outside of New Jersey, becoming a national organization. It established its Alumni Association on November 18, 1995. By 2000, the sorority had expanded to fifty collegiate chapters. The sorority joined the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations in January 2001, although it rescinded its membership in 2014. The National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations recognized Lambda Theta Alpha as its Sorority of the Year for 2013–2014. In August 2017, members of the ''Gamma Alpha chapter'' of Lambda Theta Alpha at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

participated in counter-protest efforts during the

Unite the Right rally The Unite the Right rally was a White supremacy#United States, white supremacist rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, from August 11 to 12, 2017. Marchers included members of the alt-right, neo-Confederates, neo-fascists, whi ...

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the county seat, seat of government of Albemarle County, Virginia, Albemarle County, which surrounds the ...

. In response to the events that took place, the sorority issued a statement supporting racial justice and condemning racism, hate, and intolerance. As of 2025, Lambda Theta Alpha has 539 active undergraduate members and 1,609 alumnae members, or 2,148 total initiates. Its national headquarters is in

Ithaca, New York Ithaca () is a city in and the county seat of Tompkins County, New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes region of New York (state), New York, Ithaca is the largest community in the Ithaca metrop ...

Symbols

Lambda Theta Alpha's principals or pillars are Unity, Love, and Respect. The sorority has a call, hand sign, and salute. The sorority's colors are burgundy and grey. Its jewel is La Perla (

pearl A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle (mollusc), mantle) of a living Exoskeleton, shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pear ...

). Its tree is La Palma (

Palm Tree The Arecaceae () is a family of perennial, flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms. Those having a tree-like form are colloquially c ...

). Its symbols are La Concha (

shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses Science Biology * Seashell, a hard outer layer of a marine ani ...

), and La Luna (

moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...

). Its nicknames are LTA and Lovely Lambda Ladies.

Philanthropy

Lambda Theta Alpha emphasizes academic excellence and community service. LTA Give Thanks Walk

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Lambda Theta Alpha's national philanthropy is St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The sorority became a collegiate partner to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in 2010 and a partner in the St. Jude Walk/Run to End Childhood Cancer, starting in 2014.

Lambda Theta Alpha Foundation

The Lambda Theta Alpha Foundation, Inc. was founded on November 24, 2015 to provide funding for educational programming, collegiate scholarships, and humanitarian relief efforts. It was recognized as a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation by the IRS on July 14, 2016. The foundation's signature fundraising event is the annual 1.975 Run.

Chapter philanthropies

Most chapters of the organization have a chapter philanthropy in addition to the national philanthropy. For example, the ''Beta Lambda chapter'' at

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

sponsors an annual Take Back the Night rally. The ''Beta Theta chapter'' at the

University of Central Florida The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public university, public research university with its main campus in unincorporated area, unincorporated Orange County, Florida, United States. It is part of the State University System of Florida. ...

raised money to help Puerto Rico hurricane victims, held workshops on

domestic violence Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...

, and mentored local high school students. The ''Beta Eta chapter'' at

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

holds workshops to help prepare local students for college and also awards a scholarship. The ''Gamma Delta chapter'' at

Nova Southeastern University Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a Private university, private research university in Florida with its main campus in Fort Lauderdale-Davie, Florida, Davie, Florida, United States. The university consists of 14 colleges, offering over ...

holds an annual Coming Out of Darkness Walk to raise funds for the

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) is a voluntary health organization that advocates for research and education around suicide, based in New York City, with a public policy office based in Washington, D.C. The organization's s ...

Chapter

As of 2025, Lambda Theta Alpha has chartered 150 undergraduate chapters and 30 alumnae chapters.

Notable members

* Jessica Colotl (

Kennesaw State University Kennesaw State University (KSU) is a public research university in the U.S. state of Georgia with two campuses in the Atlanta metropolitan area, one in the Kennesaw area and the other in Marietta on a combined of land. The school was founded ...

), undocumented immigrant to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

whose 2010 arrest and possible deportation called attention to the issue of

illegal immigration Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of that country's immigration laws, or the continuous residence in a country without the legal right to do so. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upward, wi ...

* Naomi Defensor (

Buffalo State College The State University of New York Buffalo State University (colloquially referred to as Buffalo State University, SUNY Buffalo State, Buffalo State, or simply Buff State) is a public college, public university in Buffalo, New York. It is part of ...

), cast member of ''The Real World: Las Vegas'' (2011 season)"Real World: Back to Las Vegas – Naomi Defensor"
, Vevmo, November 12, 2010Biography page for Naomi Defensor
MTV.com, accessed March 11, 2011.

Controversies and member misconduct

Jessica Coloti controversy

Lambda Theta Alpha member Jessica Colotl "become a flashpoint in the immigration debate" in 2010 when she was arrested in

Cobb County, Georgia Cobb County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, and is a core county of the Atlanta metropolitan area in the north-central portion of the state. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 766, ...

for driving without a license and was found to be an undocumented immigrant to the

. Her possible deportation garnered national attention after thirty Lambda Theta Alpha members from various chapters marched in support of Coloti at an immigration rally in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, on May 1, 2010, while wearing their Lambda Theta Alpha letters. Colotl became the embodiment of the 287(g) law which allows local police to enforce immigration laws and turn illegal immigrants over to

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE; ) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the Un ...

Protests

In April 2018, Lambda Theta Alpha participated in the mass boycott of the

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo or Cal Poly) is a public university in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States, - Cites the location of the university and shows that the university ...

open house for potential students, in solidarity for minority students after a photo surfaced of a local fraternity member in

blackface Blackface is the practice of performers using burned cork, shoe polish, or theatrical makeup to portray a caricature of black people on stage or in entertainment. Scholarship on the origins or definition of blackface vary with some taking a glo ...

. In 2019, Lambda Theta Alpha made national news for their participation in a protest march after

neo-Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...

writings were found at

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricult ...

References

External links

* {{National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations Former members of National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations Latino fraternities and sororities Student societies in the United States 1975 establishments in New Jersey Student organizations established in 1975 Women's organizations based in the United States Sororities Fraternities and sororities in the United States