Hermanas Unidas: Sisterhood in Action

Nancy Galindo (left) and Vanessa Gonzales (right) outside during the weekly Hermanas Unidas club meeting. Photo Credit: Christina Schwartz

Laughter and chatter echo throughout the room as women of all different cultures and skin tones gather for the weekly Hermanas Unidas club meeting. Hermanas Unidas is a club at Cal State Long Beach that services Latina students in achieving their goals through its three pillars: academics, community service and networking. Originally founded in 1994 at UC Berkeley, Hermanas Unidas has founded chapters at various other college campuses around California, including CSULB in 2003.

Many Latinx students struggle with being first-generation college students. According to ¡Excelencia! In Education, in 2015-2016 first-gen students accounted for 44% of the Latino population as opposed to 29% of the general student population. This is especially important at schools like CSULB where according to the university’s 2023 census, 49.68% of the student body identified as Hispanic or Latino.

First-generation students face unique challenges when it comes to higher education.

“I don’t have a lot of family members…who have gone to school past maybe high school,” said Vanessa Gonzales, co-chair for Hermanas Unidas. “We don’t really have somebody to go to when we have any concerns or any questions.”

According to Andrew Takimoto in his article titled ““We Belong Here”: Identities, Family, Sense of Belonging, and Persistence in Latinx First-Generation College Students’ Educational Journeys,” first-generation students are less likely to feel a sense of belonging in university environments.

“Latinas won’t excel; there isn’t a place for them,” said Nancy Galindo, a co-chair for Hermanas Unidas, regarding negative stereotypes she hears about first-generation Latinx students.

Despite the hardships, the percentage of Latina women with bachelor’s degrees has almost doubled since 2003, according to Pew Research Center. With an increase in the number of Latinx college students, Latina students are looking for ways to create support systems and increase their career opportunities.

Hermanas Unidas is a way for the Latina women of CSULB to teach each other invaluable skills for their journey through college and beyond that may not have been passed down generationally. Kiara Bettis, a Latina student at CSULB and the academic chair for Hermanas Unidas, said that the organization has helped her excel academically, with community service and with job opportunities she feels she wouldn't have gotten without Hermanas Unidas.

Hermanas Unidas’ opportunities situate the club as not only social but a way to network and succeed after college. As Hermanas Unidas begins another semester, it is welcoming new students into the club.

They hold weekly meetings every Wednesday on the CSULB campus. The meetings consist of events which build you academically and professionally through study halls, financial literacy and LinkedIn workshops.

According to Bettis, a lot of their members felt imposter syndrome as Latinx college students, but Hermanas Unidas has grown their confidence by fostering a community of strong women. Gonzales explained that for her, Hermanas Unidas is a place to meet girls who come from similar backgrounds.

Galindo mirrored this sentiment of sisterhood, “Looking at us…you see empowered women.”

In the collegiate space, which does not always feel welcoming to first-generation students, Hermanas Unidas allows a space for Latina students to connect and support each other in their journeys. Galindo encouraged students to walk in because, “Once you walk in the first time, you are a hermana for life.”