Every campus has a lot of organizations, especially political ones, but a smaller one that you may not have heard of is IGNITE. The group is all about inspiring young women to be politically active and run for office later on. The organization starts while girls are in high school and also has chapters at many colleges. UTSA, for example, has a new chapter that I happen to be apart of.
Kae Roemershauser, the president of the IGNITE chapter at UTSA, is a sophomore set on expanding the chapter and inspiring and teaching many young women on campus (It is worth mentioning, however, that the organization is open to men as well, and that I have even personally seen a few attend meetings). Kea first heard about IGNITE when she met Geo Ordonez, the previous fellow, at a women’s march in January of 2018. Geo expressed interest in creating a chapter at UTSA to Kae, as there had not previously been one. Kae’s main goal for the organization currently is to increase membership and become more involved in the community.
So far this semester, our chapter has held a Galentine’s day in which we talked about self-care and hosted Frankie Gonzales-Wolfe, a candidate for San Antonio City Council, at a conference. In the future, in addition to expanding membership, we intend on volunteering in our community, attending the women’s march, and potentially hosting workshops over topics like negotiating pay. If you attend UTSA and our interested in joining a great organization that offers awesome networking opportunities, check out IGNITE! (Or see if the campus you’re on has a chapter as well!)