The UA community celebrated Hispanic women with the unveiling of a tribute marker at the Women’s Plaza of Honor on Tuesday.
The program, titled “Tributo a la Mujer Hispana,” was hosted by the UA’s Department of Gender and Women’s Studies, the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Tribute to Hispanic Women of Southern Arizona Committee and the UA Hispanic Alumni Club. It was held to commemorate the completion of the new Hispanic women section in the Women’s Plaza of Honor, located in the south portion of the plaza.
“We raised the money for the tribute and wanted to celebrate finishing that and getting the bolder engraved,” said Edith Auslander, a member of the Tribute to Hispanic Women of Southern Arizona and the University of Arizona Foundation. “We did this project for the Women’s Plaza. There is a tribute to this plaza to African American women and Native American women, and we wanted one for Hispanic women. That is why we did it.”
Proceeds collected from admission to the event will be donated to the UA Hispanic Alumni Club, an association that has been providing scholarships to Hispanic students since 1986. Currently, the club supports 186 scholarship students at the UA.
“I think the turnout has been great and we have a lot more people than I expected,” said Diane Castro, president of the UA Hispanic Alumni Club. She went on to say the tribute marker was provided through the work of Hispanic alumni and UA community efforts. The tribute marker was unveiled by two girls in elementary school to represent the future of Hispanic women and what the club wants to accomplish.
Students who are recipients of the Hispanic Alumni Scholarship were also at the event to help out and thank people for attending.
“I feel it is a wonderful experience to be a part of this, especially knowing how all of the funds accumulated.” said Isabel Ortiz-Montelongo, a sophomore studying family studies and human development. “I see a lot of support, and that brings me pride to be a part of the Hispanic alumni scholarship. I see familiar faces and I am getting to know them so it is not just about being here and volunteering, it’s about knowing who supports us and kind of being like a family.”
The Women’s Plaza of Honor, located by Centennial Hall, started planning construction 13 years ago, and is able to build monuments and tribute markers through donations. People who donate to the plaza are able to submit the names of women who inspire them, depending on the amount of money donated.
Caryl Flinn, head of the Department of Gender and Women’s Studies, said if someone wants to commemorate a woman whose story is important to them, there are “plenty of donation opportunities” to do so.
