H.O.L.A.
Hispanic Outreach Leadership Association
The purpose of the Hispanic Outreach Leadership Association is to unite Latin American/Hispanic students as well as those who are interested in the language or culture. The mission of this organization is to educate other students on the different Latin American/Hispanic cultures through the use of events while also raising awareness on the issues Latin American/Hispanic people face. HOLA also encourages its members to participate in community service by sharing community service opportunities with its members.
I was very fortunate to join the Hispanic Outreach Leadership Association since, before I even knew about the organization, my freshman year at UTC around 2016. I initially joined out of passion of Latin dance and its variety of styles. But as soon as I learned who hosted the event I loved so much I knew I had to join. I can honestly say that was one of the biggest and most important decisions I made to jump start my UTC legacy. Because the organization was few in numbers I quickly joined as an executive. For most of my career involving H.O.L.A. I held the position of treasurer. Because of the importance of my role I can proudly say that every event hosted by H.O.L.A. from 2016 until the SPAC committee got suspended in 2019 (the committee where campus organizations requested school funding from), was thanks to my efforts with the aid of my supportive executives. It wasn't until early 2020 where I received the designation of vice president where I will continue to hold that title until my graduation this Spring 2021.
Games and Crafts
There were several opportunities that H.O.L.A. had to offer to make UTC feel more like a community. Here is one example of an event called "Culture Crafts Night" I hosted with my new vice president role.
Fellowship
I have several pictures throughout my years in H.O.L.A., unfortunately I can't fit them all. Here is an image fairly recent, right about the time I was promoted to vice president.
Networking
There events where H.O.L.A. members of any background could attend networking events where local professionals in Chattanooga would congregate.
First Year attending LDE
I was fortunate enough to help host and help request funding for the Latin Dance Exhibition with my club as the treasurer of the organization.
Last Year attending LDE
In my last year able to attend the Latin Dance Exhibition, much like the first, was funded thanks to my efforts as treasurer and the other executives that supported me along with the organization.
There was no event that H.O.L.A. hosted in silence. As you can see here with one example of live music our club was able to acquire from local artists.
There were many times I tabled events for the organization in order to make our presence known and gain potential new members.
As an organization we were very fortunate to have a variety of guest speakers thanks to my contributions in requesting funding.
In keeping with the spirit of spreading culture H.O.L.A. hosted a variety of dance lessons shown by local professionals. These events were definitely among the most popular as you see above.