UTEP Gamma Lambda Chapter Receives National Recognition
The UTEP Gamma Lambda chapter was recognized for their outstanding community engagement at the ESG National Awards Ceremony held at the end of March in Salt Lake City Utah, and was also invited to present at the jointly held Society for Public Health Education’s (SOPHE) annual meeting.
Denise Portillo, 2018 UTEP Gamma Lambda Chapter President and December 2018 graduate (BS in Health Promotion), received the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC) Outstanding Undergraduate Major of the Year Award. The purpose of the award is to recognize outstanding students across the nation majoring in health education – one student from each institution offering a degree in this field is selected for the award.
The Gamma Lambda chapter also received the Eta Sigma Gamma National Chapter Recognition Award, which is given for outstanding and meaningful community engagement. The award recognized UTEP’s Gamma Lambda’s activity during the fall 2017-spring 2018 period, during which the chapter members completed a total of 660 hours of community service impacting multiple local health initiatives related to HIV/AIDS, food insecurity, substance use disorder, and maternal and child health.
Officers who led the chapter during this time included:
Fall 2017: Anaysa Arce (President), Denise Mendez (VP), Perla Alvarez (Secretary), Alexa Melendez (Treasurer), Sonya Dominguez (Historian), Jesse Limon (Sgt. at Arms)
Spring 2018: Jaclyn Berger (President), Denise Portillo (VP), Ariana Luna (Secretary), Brian Ibarra (Treasurer), Sonya Dominguez (Historian), Lisa Padilla (Sgt. at Arms)
Chapter Advisor: Dr. Thenral Mangadu
In addition to receiving the commendations, the group was invited to present their abstract at the SOPHE conference. The abstract, entitled “Strategies for Eta Sigma Gamma Members to Engage in Meaningful Community Engagement: Lessons from the U.S.-Mexico Border,” was selected through a peer-reviewed process. Abstract authors included Denise Portillo, Jaclyn Berger and ESG chapter advisor, Dr. Thenral Mangadu.