The Hispanic honor society, Sigma Delta Pi, earned its fourth consecutive national Honor Chapter award for the 2011-2012 year.
SDP is the largest collegiate foreign language honor society in the country and is the only one exclusively dedicated to the study of the Spanish language and Hispanic culture, civilization and literature. Every year, 10 to 15 chapters are selected from 584 nationwide to hold the title of Honor Chapter.
The winners are selected based on a report submitted annually detailing the chapter’s various programs, events and projects cultivating the Spanish and Hispanic culture. SDP’s Pepperdine chapter has continued to separate itself over the past four years, earning their fourth Honor Chapter award.
Mark P. Del Mastro, executive director of Sigma Delta Pi, said Pepperdine’s chapter earned its recognition based off a variety and consistency of activities and events in the academic year.
One of the many excursions the chapter took was to a Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration in Los Angeles. The celebration honors the memories of the souls of deceased family and friends.
Traditions include caring for the graves of the lost, building altars and participating in dance and music. The festival dates back to an ancient Aztec tradition.
“Past Honor Chapters have emerged from all types of colleges and universities, large and small, public and private,” Mastro wrote. “The ability of a chapter to distinguish itself as an Honor Chapter has to do with local faculty and student leadership and initiative. All depends upon the motivation and efforts of the students and adviser.”
Dr. Lila McDowell Carlsen, SDP’s faculty adviser, explained the past and current group of officers is committed to showing both eagerness and organizational skills to lead successfully.
“Pepperdine has an advantage in that our officers are committed to promoting Hispanic culture through Sigma Delta Pi, and are able to balance that with their other leadership and service obligations, their classes and work schedules,” Carlsen said. She said she remains confident in the chapter so long as it has influential leaders.
“This means a great deal for the officers who worked so hard to organize the events,” Carlsen said. “I know that this is only one of their leadership roles, and, honestly, I am amazed at how well they handle their responsibilities. I think the members see what the officers did the previous year, and the new officers step up and build on that.
“I know that our members give their time and energy for the love of Hispanic culture and the experiences they have with their fellow members, not for the national recognition. But at the end of the day, it is nice to see that their hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed.”
With a fourth Honor Chapter award to claim, SDP already sees no barriers to earning another one this upcoming year.
“I expect that we will have lots of new members that are excited about extending their enthusiasm for Spanish outside of the classroom and into the real world,” Carlsen said.
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