Ambar Mesa '17
Current Volunteer Role: Co-Chair, Latino Alumni Network
Q&A:
How long have you been a GW volunteer and what is your role?
I have been a GW volunteer for a little over a year now, serving as one of the Co-Chairs for the Latino Alumni Network. Along with my Co-Chair and fellow committee volunteers, my role is to collaborate with the Alumni Office to put together programming opportunities to bring GW Latinos together to network professionally and learn from shared experiences.
Why do you choose to volunteer, and what have you gained from the experience?
I graduated from GW 7 years ago and had been looking for ways to stay connected and give back to the University beyond financially. I chose to volunteer for the Latino Alumni Network for the opportunity to be able to meet and network with other alumni and collectively work towards the mission of bringing alumni together through this shared identity/affinity. The current committee is made up of different graduation years, undergrad/graduate schools, careers, geographies, etc. and it's been most rewarding to work together using our diverse backgrounds to come up with events and programming ideas. There is so much room for growth and engagement and I look forward to how it will continue to expand in the coming years.
Are there any upcoming events or initiatives within the Latino Alumni Network that you're excited about?
The Committee has been working on a couple events honoring Hispanic Heritage Month, but one I am particularly excited about is our upcoming Loco for Loteria event! Loteria is a popular game that originated in Mexico and we are hosting a virtual event where we will play several rounds and hand out some prizes to the lucky winners! We are also partnering with the Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute later this year to showcase Dr. Tahina Montoya's work on molas. I am also excited about some initiatives the committee hopes to put on in the future, such as community service oriented events and intersectional events with other affinity groups!
What has been your favorite memory, event, etc. from your time in the network?
The Committee recently hosted a panel around "Navigating Work-Life Balance and Caretaking" and it was such a formative conversation, especially for the Latinx community where there is a unique expectation/cultural perspective on the topic, coupled with a growing demographic of career professionals. Managing these pressures in parallel was an interesting topic to explore and so great to see the community come together in the discussion.
Do you have any advice for fellow alumni who want to get involved with GW?
If there are any causes you were passionate about as an undergrad, connect with the Alumni Office to see if there are existing actions that support it or how you can organize an alumni community around that initiative.
