She co-founded the first Latina sorority in Missouri

Melissa Bañuelos has got to be one of the most patient people I know. She's a junior at Mizzou studying diagnostic medical ultrasound, on the executive board of many social leadership committes, pretty much helps run the Mizzou Multicultural Center, and spends time filming her dogs wrestling when she has a minute to relax.

But last semester, Melissa became part of the founding line of Lambda Theta Alpha, the first Latina sorority in the nation and NOW the first Latina sorority in Missouri. In the state. Last semester the LTA's presented their founding line, a process that is stressful, rigorous, and full of challenges that other larger, majority-white sororities don't face. Why did it take this long for the first Latina sorority to come to Mizzou?

"When we first began and came up with the idea of trying to establish a chapter of LTA at Mizzou we had no idea if it was going to be something plausible or if we were ever going to be able to accomplish our goal. Once we reached out to Nationals and they responded we already felt accomplished because we knew that getting a response was already one step in the right direction. At this point we knew we had to become more organized and do everything correctly and persevere no matter how long it took. There were points when we felt like we were not making much progress but we knew that we had already made it that far and it would be wrong to give up half way. This has taught me a lot of patience and also perseverance. I also learned to get out of my comfort zone and look for help and resources. I believe I have grown to learn how to work well with others and not just to rely on myself for everything." -Melissa Bañuelos, junior at Mizzou