In the spirit of Women’s History Month, we’re shining the spotlight on several Taps (new members) of the Texas Orange Jackets who be hosting the Week of Women, a series of events that celebrates women, non-binary folks and allies in our community during the week of March 25 through 28. Event details will be posted on the Texas Orange Jackets’ Instagram page @txorangejackets. They will also be celebrating with us at the upcoming Women’s History Month Celebration held on the Main Mall on Wednesday, March 27.

Asha Lamba, Neuroscience Junior

What made you decide to join the Texas Orange Jackets?

I was drawn to Orange Jackets because of its strong commitment to embracing diversity, individuality, and community among female-identifying and non-binary individuals here at UT. Looking at the members of the organization and the initiatives we pursue yields a clear message: we want to celebrate the unique and incredible ways womanhood and femininity manifest for each person who experiences them.

Why is it important to you, personally, to celebrate women?

When you identify as a woman or a member of another marginalized community, it is a constant reminder that you are underrepresented and will have to fight for rights and privileges some have never had to think twice about enjoying. It is a silent fight that we show up to every day, and it is for that reason exactly that it deserves to be loudly celebrated.

Sophie Snapp, Environmental Engineering Junior

How does the Texas Orange Jackets impact the campus community?

The Orange Jackets are servant leaders who work to improve the experiences of women on campus and in the Austin community. To accomplish this, Orange Jackets, as an organization, strives to take part in intentional initiatives and uplift the voices of other groups of women.

What is the goal of the Week of Women event?

This event seeks to educate about women’s rights in Texas, provide health services, promote female student organizations on campus, and fundraise for a charity that supports women. It is important to acknowledge the invaluable role that women play on campus and in the world. Through celebrating women, we can show our support for the efforts and successes of women of the past, present and future.

Zoe Waterman, Human Dimensions of Organization Junior

What excites you about the campus-wide Women’s History Month Celebration? 

Women have not always been students at UT, so I think it’s important to celebrate the work and accomplishments of the women who carved the way for us to be Longhorns. This university-wide Women’s History Month event is shining light on all the wonderful things women are doing at UT Austin and in their communities, whether that’s serving in leadership in a student organization, performing in an arts group or doing science experiments!

What would you like the campus community to know about the Texas Orange Jackets?

Texas Orange Jackets is the oldest service organization on UT’s campus for female-identifying and non-binary students. As such, we’ve always been a space for ambitious students involved in many amazing efforts. Our organization has four tenets: service, leadership, scholarship and community. Each tenet serves as a guiding principle for how we can positively impact our communities. Texas Orange Jackets provides students with a space to discuss new ideas, grow their passions and find ways to impact UT’s campus and other communities.

Emma Ykal Zavala, Government and Sociology Sophomore

How does this organization continue to uplift and support women on campus?

The Texas Orange Jackets offer a space for all women who are passionate about making an impact in the community together. Whether that’d be through our service events, spirits or official university hostings. Most importantly, Orange Jackets is continuously committed to starting initiatives to uplift women on campus or to contribute to improving issues for our needs.

Why is it important for the campus community to celebrate women during this month of reflection?

It’s important to me to celebrate women at this big scale on campus because it’s a way to remember how far women as a collective have come despite historical and social systemic issues that were built to suppress us. A celebration like this is also a way of coming together as one and celebrating the complex and unique identity of being a woman. And how, through this complexity, many of us have been and continue working towards more inclusive spaces where we can all uplift one another.