OHIO’s Sigma Delta Pi chapter earns National Hispanic Honors Recognition
For the seventh year in a row, the active honors organization celebrates an exclusive recognition.
Kweku Diaw, MA '25 | October 1, 2024
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OHIO’s Sigma Delta Pi Chapter, Pi Rho/Tau, of the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society, has been named an Honor Chapter for its outstanding activities in 2023-24. It is the seventh consecutive year that OHIO’s chapter has received this award, which was bestowed to only 13 of 635 chapters nationwide in 2024.
Sigma Delta Pi, the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society, or La Sociedad Nacional Honoraria Hispánica is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies and the biggest collegiate foreign language honor society in the United States. It is the only honor society devoted exclusively to students of Spanish in four-year colleges and universities.
This recognition looks at the caliber of chapter projects that reflect the organization’s mission of honoring excellence in studying the Spanish language, contributing to cultural understanding, and upholding society's goals.
Professor Betsy Joyce Partyka, OHIO's former chapter adviser since 2020, Dr. Esther Hernández Esteban, the new OHIO chapter adviser, and Sarah Arnett, the new president, were instrumental in earning these national recognitions. We sat down with Dr. Esteban about the organization and this accomplishment.
The organization hosts many activities throughout the academic year, including an annual hike in the Hocking HIlls, cooking nights, and a Day of the Dead celebration.
The initiation ceremony welcomes new members to the organization, and end-of-year celebrations send graduating seniors off with honor cords to wear during commencement.
Q & A with Dr. Esther Hernandez
Q: When and why was the OHIO chapter formed?
A: Our chapter, Pi Rho/Tau, was founded in 1986 by Professor Abelardo Moncayo to recognize excellence in studying the Spanish language and Hispanic culture.
Q: What activities are OHIO’s Sigma Delta Pi chapter involved in?
A: We have very successful events that we celebrate every year, including hiking to Hocking Hills at the beginning of the semester, hosting the Day of the Dead, cooking nights, movie nights in Spanish, and end-of-the-year celebrations.
One of our most important events every year is the initiation ceremony, where we welcome new members to the society. We celebrate Sigma Delta Pi’s birthday in the fall and sometimes participate in a national cake contest. We won this contest in 2022. At the end of the Spring semester, we also celebrate our graduating members who receive the cords for Sigma Delta Pi.
Last year, for the first time, was a travel night we hosted, with members sharing their experiences traveling over the summer. We also had a Noche Bohemia, where members shared their creative writing, poetry, and short stories in Spanish. Our chapter also hosted Immersion Day, where SE Ohio area high schoolers visited OHIO and spent the day speaking as much Spanish as they could.
Our largest event lasted a week on OHIO's campus, as a duo from Segovia, Spain, visited and performed a musical documentary about their research into Spanish refugees who found themselves in French concentration camps after the Spanish Civil War (1939-1942). Margarita Sanz Lobo, another guest from Segovia, presented her research on the “Residencia de Señoritas”.
Dr. Esther Hernández Esteban is the advisor for OHIO's award-winning chapter of the National Collegiate Honor Society.
Q: Can you describe how OHIO’s Sigma Delta Pi chapter has helped its students' educational pursuits?
A: Our chapter of Sigma Delta hosts events that are culturally relevant to the Hispanic world. Students have the opportunity to learn about the culture of Spanish-speaking countries without leaving Athens. We bring guest speakers to give lectures.
Another way our chapter has helped students is through scholarships that the national office grants to outstanding students. In the summer of 2023, one of our undergraduate students received one of the study-abroad awards to study in Spain and attended the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP) conference in Salamanca.
Q: How has the organization maintained its excellent standards?
A: Our previous advisor, Professor Partyka, was excellent. She worked very hard to bring new events and engage the membership in relevant activities, fostering a love for the Spanish language and Hispanic literature and cultures. Under her strong leadership, we won this national award for several years.
Q: What does the future hold for the chapter?
A: We are hopeful to win the Honor Chapter award again next year. This fall, we have prepared a lineup of events, including Spanish Conversation Hour, horror movie night, Day of the Dead Altar, a cooking night featuring Patagonian cuisine, and a BYOC (bring your cup) study session. As every year, we will welcome new members.
Q: When does the chapter meet? And how can interested parties join?
A: Any student who wants to join our honor society can email Professor Esther Hernández Esteban. Our organization at a national level has high academic standards, and our members must meet specific requirements before joining our chapter. You can find our events on our Instagram.
Q: Last words for our readers!
A: Everybody is welcome to attend our events. Spanías Didagéi Proágomen is our motto, translating to, let us go forth under the guidance of the Spanish language!