KU Alumni Association launches Hispanic Alumni Network
Volunteers, KU Alumni Association staff collaborate to bring together Hispanic alumni.
A pact among lifelong friends led to the Sept. 15 relaunch of the Hispanic Alumni Network (HAN). By Oct. 31, the group had surpassed 350 members.
More than a year ago, Marisol Romero, who now lives in Kansas City, and Monique Garcia, from Wichita, attended an event for a new book, Latina Leadership Lessons: 50 Latinas Speak, written by Garcia’s sister Delia Garcia. As they considered the many success stories highlighted, “we both had this epiphany,” Romero recalls.
Vowing to restart the HAN, the two promised to forge ahead, “and we didn’t let each other off the hook,” says Romero, c’06, who recently began a new professional role as events manager for Hope House, a Kansas City agency that serves survivors of domestic abuse.
Garcia, c’96, owns Garcia Group LLC, which works with state and federal agencies to expand access to health care in underserved communities. As a KU volunteer who has long been passionate about student recruitment and mentoring, Garcia now serves on the Alumni Association’s national Board of Directors. In 2009, she was one of about 10 Jayhawk volunteers who launched the original HAN with the support of Association staff members, including Heath Peterson, d’04, g’09, now president. The network published email newsletters and hosted several tailgates as well as a graduation banquet for KU seniors, but unfortunately momentum slowed.
As Romero and Garcia planned to revitalize the group, they enlisted the help of Mary Padilla, j’88, the Association’s associate vice president of marketing and content strategy, who as a student had helped found the Hispanic American Leadership Organization (HALO) on campus. “We couldn’t have done any of this without her,” Romero says. “She kept us on track.”
Over the next few months, the three reached out to more alumni and crafted a mission statement. Meanwhile, the Association’s marketing and content strategy team planned and created graphics, a Facebook group, an email campaign and a web page.
“We’ve had such an outpouring of excitement in bringing together Hispanic alumni who span generations from across the globe,” Garcia says. “We enjoy welcoming each new member to our Facebook group—from a 2023 graduate from Dodge City to a 1994 graduate from Betania, Panama.”
With more than 350 Facebook group members and counting, Romero is eager for the HAN to ultimately host events in Kansas and Kansas City as well as in Chicago and other KU communities. She also hopes to cultivate more volunteers. “That’s our message—start something wherever you are,” she says. “Represent KU, and do good in your community.”
Padilla, who credits her HALO involvement for profoundly shaping her student years, says, “As we reconnect with Hispanic alumni, it has been truly heartwarming to witness the enduring bonds we’ve cultivated over the years, as well as the new friendships blossoming within our community. We are united by our shared love for KU and the common experiences that continue to bring us together.”
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