KU News Release

KU organization for Hispanic students celebrates its 35th year

LAWRENCE — The Hispanic American Leadership Organization at the University of Kansas is celebrating its 35th anniversary.

An anniversary banquet will be at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 22, in the Kansas Union and will bring together current members, KU faculty and staff, alumni and other HALO organizations from across Kansas and the nation. An alumni brunch will be at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, in the Burge Union in conjunction with HALO’s regional meeting.

Pegine Echevarria of Team Pegine will be the keynote speaker at the banquet. Echevarria has more than 15 years of experience as a nationally recognized expert on diversity, success, leadership and team building, and 20 years of experience in the workplace — from corporate America to public service. She has a bachelor’s in theater arts from Hunter College in New York, an entrepreneurial certificate from Hofstra University and a master’s in social work from Adelphi University.

For banquet tickets, contact Juan Izaguirre at (785) 864-4351 by Sept. 15. Tickets are $10 for students, $20 for faculty and staff, and $25 for alumni and other guests.

The formation of a Hispanic organization at KU began around 1971, when a Chicano student started the Association of Mexican American Students. In 1974, the group changed its name to Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan. In 1986, Hispanic KU students voted to change the name of the group to the Hispanic American Leadership Organization.

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