West Texas A&M University’s branch of Association of Latino Professionals for America was selected the 2021 Student Chapter of the Year for the Central Region.

“This award recognizes the tireless efforts of our students during the Covid-19 pandemic, including several major community service events,” said Leslie Ramos Salazar, the chapter’s faculty adviser and associate professor of business communication. “We are humbled and honored to win this important regional award, and I believe all the hard work put forth by the leaders and members of the ALPFA chapter has helped get the chapter noticed at the national level.”

The WT chapter’s official recognition will take place during a virtual national ALPFA convention on Aug. 2.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the ALPFA at WTAMU chapter hosted several virtual career development workshops, trainings and community speakers. The chapter also conducted several community-service events such as a Meals on Wheels fundraiser, which raised $1,750 for the meal cost of seniors in the Amarillo area.

Also, the ALPFA chapter helped encouraged blood donor signups and helped with the marketing in one of the blood drives offered by the Coffee Memorial Blood Center.

Chapter award winners serve as inspirational leaders that embody ALPFA’s mission to empower Latino men and women as leaders of character for the nation, Ramos Salazar said.

WT is entering its fifth year as a Hispanic Serving Institution, with an enrollment rate of nearly 30 percent Hispanic students as of Fall 2020.

In addition to winning the award, the Texas A&M University ALPFA chapter has sponsored ALPFA at WTAMU with 50 free premium memberships and 50 convention registrations for the convention, which will run Aug. 2 to 6. The premium membership includes access to the national career center, VIP trainings and events, scholarship access, and networking opportunities.

The convention’s theme is “Connecting for Impact,” and it will include a career boot camp, corporate events and trainings, a virtual career fair, and CPE credit workshops.

The ALPFA at WTAMU student chapter is actively recruiting new members and leaders. Any WT student who wishes to be part of the chapter and attend the convention can contact wtalpfa@wtamu.edu.

For information about the virtual national convention, visit alpfa.org/page/alpfaconvention.

WT’s aim to recruit a student body that reflects the diverse population of the Texas Panhandle is goal of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

-West Texas A&M University