Mujeres en Acción brings women together

What began last year as an effort by junior Jocelyn Solorzano to bring women together to talk has turned into a group that encourages interactions between undergraduate and graduate women – something Solorzano said she is proud of.

The group calls itself Mujeres en Accion, or Women in Action.

“Mujeres en Accion is a new group at La Casa designed to give women in our community a comfortable space to be ourselves and get away from the stressors of everyday life,” Solorzano said. “It’s an opportunity to relax and take care of ourselves, as well as get to spend time with each other, as women, on a regular basis.”

Graduate student Sarah Fernandez has joined Solorzano, and together they plan events once a month for the group.

“I really wanted to get more involved in La Casa,” Fernandez said, “and helping out with this group was both something I found really interesting and I thought was important. I think it’s something that we really need as women.”

The group is different from the sororities that are already a part of the Latino community, said Lillian Casillas, director of La Casa Latino Cultural Center.

“This is a more informal, fluid group,” Casillas said. “Sororities are good support groups, but they also have other goals and values that keep the women within the organization busy. This group concentrates solely on the women – their mental and personal health.”

Casillas said there are some sorority members who are part of the group, and the programming happens between a graduate and undergraduate students. This year, Solorzano and Fernandez took the responsibility.

All women are invited to enjoy the events. This year, Mujeres en Accion planned a movie night and a networking night between undergraduate and graduate students.

For the month of November, the group has invited students to go horseback riding on Sunday.

Casillas said there are plans for at least one event each month. As the group grows, she hinted toward a bigger picture.

“There are graduate and undergraduate women in it now,” Casillas said. “Ideally, faculty and staff can join us, too.”