This semester, two new heritage-based Greek life organizations are being introduced to the College of William and Mary. Fifteen female students have joined Asian-interest sorority Aspiring Sisterhood of Identity and Growth, which was founded shortly before fall 2024. ASIG intends to connect female students of Asian descent through shared cultural experiences and values. Similarly, a chapter of Latinx-interest fraternity Lamba Upsilon Lambda (LUL) is coming soon to the College campus.
“La Unidad Para Siempre,” otherwise meaning “united forever,” fully encompasses the Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity’s goal of encouraging academic success, professional development and cultural awareness among Latinx and multicultural students.
LUL was founded in 1982 at Cornell University after the discovery of dropping admissions among marginalized communities across the country. It is the first Latino-based and multi-ethnic organization to be founded at an Ivy League institution. Eleven undergraduate students and two individuals from Cornell’s faculty organized the fraternity dedicated to promoting the educational advancement and unification of diverse communities.
At the College, ASIG, founded by a group of students seeking to expand representation in Fraternity and Sorority Life on campus, held its inaugural interest meeting this September.
Co-president Kathleen Ulanday ’26 shared her inspiration behind forming ASIG.
“The idea came about during my spring semester of freshman year,” Ulanday said. “I reflected on the sense of community I was always searching for as an Asian-American student. My friends and family members at other schools had shared their experiences with Asian-interest sororities, and their stories inspired me to create something similar at my own campus.”
Ulanday explained that the organization aims to create a sense of belonging for students.
“I felt strongly that establishing this organization could fill a gap not only in my own sense of belonging but also for others who might be seeking a space to connect, celebrate our shared identities and ultimately support one another,” Ulanday said.
Contrary to traditional panhellenic social sororities, ASIG places strong emphasis on fostering cultural pride and awareness. Public Relations Chair Sophie Rush ’26 shared the inspiration behind establishing the organization.
“There’s not a lot of representation for Asians within sororities, and so we thought that this is something that could really be something good for William and Mary, and something that is needed to create another community and more representation,” Rush said.
DEI Chair Samirah Habib ’26 added what the growing sisterhood meant to her.
“A smaller organization, like ours, makes it a little easier to find people who relate to you,” Habib said. “ASIG is meant to build a close-knit community within the Asian community, and I feel like we’ve had a close bond. I feel like it’s just a close knit community that I can always rely on.”
Habib also reflected on another member’s personal anecdote of finding a home at ASIG.
“One of our new members was saying how she was struggling to find her own place,” Habib said. “[After joining ASIG,] she felt very comfortable and felt like she belonged. It was nice to know that there was a sorority for her.”
ASIG has yet to attach itself to a formal chapter, but members of the executive board are continually working to establish the sorority as a formal organization on campus.
Rush elaborated on the group’s progress of acquiring a charter.
“We are not currently part of a chapter, but we are working towards submitting a bid to then become a part of a national chapter. One of the first things I remember we did was becoming recognized as a student organization within William and Mary, so we could get some funding and start actually hosting fundraisers and events. We became a recognized organization at the end of the last spring semester. This semester we’ve started doing fundraisers, different workshops and collaborations with other clubs or Greek organizations,” Rush said.
Co-community service coordinator Lily Engelhardt ’27 provided additional insight into the process of receiving formal recognition.
“We’re still active in getting it fully recognized as a sorority,” Engelhardt said. “We had meetings during the spring semester and over the summer with those that are in charge of who we would be under for the sorority. We have a whole sheet of requirements very similar to what a sorority does. We have to fulfill community service, we have to do fundraisers, we have to do workshops and we have to host events with other Greek life or other organizations as well. We’re still actively trying to get all the requirements to be able to get a bid.”
The LUL fraternity has begun its outreach, with the assistance of the LUL chapter at the University of Virginia, with the College, as requested by an interest group on campus — which wishes to remain anonymous until the College chapter is officially announced to students and the general public. With collaboration from the LUL chapter at the UVA, the interest group on campus has increased its outreach. They have contacted numerous organizations and offices on campus, including the Center for Student Diversity, Latin American Student Union and Limited-Income and/or First Generation Tribe. Collaboration with other organizations on campus has been critical for LUL’s outreach efforts, especially when participating in events and tabling. The interest group has also contacted other fraternities and sorority organizations for potential collaborations.
There are plenty of plans for events in the future, as stated by UVA student and Hermano Noel Ayala-Gallo.
“Something that we have planned for is towards like finals and the reading days, we want to do a kind of game night or afternoon for people to kind of just like relax and enjoy some free food and drinks and potentially want to bring out the pool tables. And it’s one of the things that some people can just kind of go in there and not to worry about the cost and just take a break from studying for finals.”
Ayala-Gallo expressed his hopes for the fraternity introduction to the College in the Spring and its ability to give other organizations at the College support. He looks forward to celebrating the accomplishment of introducing another multicultural fraternity to the campus.
Engelhardt spoke to her own reasons for joining ASIG.
“Greek life, originally, I had never thought of being involved in that,” Engelhardt said. “But I think it was more of the cultural aspect that really drew me to it. It was a group of people that I was able to identify with.”
Engelhardt elaborated on the group’s main initiatives, including breast cancer awareness which her family has been afflicted by.
“Our main focus is breast cancer awareness and mental health,” Engelhardt said. “That really hit close to me, because I have a history of breast cancer in my family. So it was a main thing that really drew me towards [ASIG,] because it was something that I deeply cared about. Knowing that we could all work towards something, as well as get closer together really interested me in joining.”
The group has hosted a variety of events so far this semester and intends to continue finding ways to foster a long-lasting community of empowered women that spread Asian-awareness. Habib reflected on an event that was especially memorable for her.
“We had a mental health workshop a couple weeks ago where we kind of talked about our experiences with living in an Asian or POC household and how mental health is treated,” Habib said. “I feel like we all connected so well because we all shared a lot of the same experiences. It was just nice and comforting to know that we all came from something so similar and we could connect and bond. I feel like it brought us closer together.”
Engelhardt ’27 touched on another event where ASIG volunteered at a breast cancer awareness race. that was particularly memorable to her.
“It was very special, because we all definitely got a lot closer,” Engelhardt said. “We volunteered in the morning, and we were helping direct the runners and which way to go. We were cheering them on, and we just had a really great time just knowing that we were able to help support.”
The College houses a variety of cultural groups and clubs, but the Latina sorority Sigma Iota Alpha is the only other multicultural sorority on-campus. ASIG believes their identity as a multicultural group makes them stand apart.
“It’s a cultural collective coming together, especially on a campus that’s more white of race,” Engelhardt said. “So I think that it’s just what makes it special is that there’s a place that people feel that they can go to, while also having their experience of Greek life.”
Rush encouraged interested students to become involved in the sorority.
“I think that ASIG is a very warm and welcoming community,” Rush said. “If you’re interested, we would love to get to know you, and we think that there could be a place for you here.”
LUL’s hermanos, or members, work to provide access to higher education to underrepresented students through the PATHE initiative, the fraternity’s national philanthropy. The fraternity has fostered relationships with other schools in Virginia, with some hermanos having become educators and administrators in education — motivated by their experience as mentors. LUL chapters, such as the one at Virginia, have worked within school systems to mentor middle school and high school students. Fraternity members even assist in giving college tours and workshops to prepare students for the college application process. The fraternity funds thousands of dollars towards scholarships for Latin students yearly, proving their dedication to supporting students throughout their college journey.
Hermanos prioritize three main objectives: brotherhood, excellence and mentorship. They are dedicated to building strong relationships with their line brothers and their chapter, providing fruitful mentorship opportunities and projects while holding fellow Hermanos accountable and attaining excellence by focusing on one’s family, career, and academics.
“And you know there are students who want to transfer to William and Mary, but if they don’t know the exact, you know, guidelines that they need, they don’t get the the support for retention. Because one thing that really does really well is retention. We make sure our members succeed and graduate. We have like essentially a 99% graduation rate for our members of our organization. And we want to help also reach out to that community as well to help ensure that there is a better pipeline for the transition to William and Mary,” Noel Ayala-Gallo said.
