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Gina "K.W.A." Han, was one of the
Founders of Sigma Psi Zeta starting in 1993,
during her freshman year at the University
at Albany. She was the only Founding Mother
not to graduate from the University, leaving
in 1995, due to her New York-based Korean family's
desire to move. She relocated to Atlanta, Georgia
and remained in contact with the other nine
Founding Mothers while in the middle of her
sophomore year, while she continued to study
at Georgia Polytechnic Institute, better known
as "Georgia Tech." Though Sigma Psi
Zeta had to forge on in its' infancy stages
without Gina, she was very much a part of the
history, values, and purposes of the organization
during its' inception. She is certainly the
most mysterious of all the Founding Mothers,
but has been crucial in analyzing the sorority
history and more importantly, in understanding
the timeless bond of friendship over geographic
barriers, that first stemmed from the group
and it's eventual birth into SYF. Gina currently
resides in the state of Georgia.
Sally Hsieh was born in Taiwan and immigrated
to Texas before finally settling down in
New York City. She was the second President
of the Alpha Chapter and the third National
Board of Directors President. As one of
the principal Founders of Sigma Psi Zeta,
Sally Hsieh played an important role in
establishing the foundation for the sorority,
while simultaneously completing her Teaching
Bachelor of Arts in English in the College
of Arts and Science, and her Master of
Arts in Educational Theory & Practice
from the School of Education at the University.
She graduated summa cum laude. She is the original
designer and producer of many of the sorority
symbols in use today such as the sorority
crest. Because of her role as an educator,
she often took an active part in developing
and preserving the legacy of the sorority,
and as a listener was able to address individual
needs and relate them to a more unified
vision. Sister "Shae" is the
older sister of Sigma legacy, Michelle "Ane" Hsieh,
who is also an alumna of the Alpha
Chapter. Sally is currently a high
school English teacher in Long Island,
New York.
While in attendance at The University at
Albany, pursuing a B.S. in Mathematics,
Jean "Curly" Kim became a principal
Founder of Sigma Psi Zeta, and demonstrated
her leadership by serving on the Executive
Boards of the Korean Students Association
and the Asian American Alliance. Jean is
Korean-American. She retained memberships
to each of the Asian student groups that
existed on campus at the time and was able
to form partnerships amongst them all.
Jean was often considered the most sociable
of all the Founding Mothers, and as a result, this made
her instrumental in early internal and
external sorority programming.
She served two terms as the President
of the Alpha Chapter,
was the the first Internal Sorority Affairs
Director, and was the second National President.
She earned a degree from FIT for Fashion Design in Apparel. Jean currently owns and
operates her own small business in New
York City and lives in Flushing, New
York.
Sister "Smiley" was rightfully
named such, as she often freely and gladly
extended emotional support to her fellow
sisters as they multiplied by the dozen over
the years. Her legacy continues today, as
Jenny continues to draw from her New York-born
Korean-American experiences. She remains
an example of involvement for both undergraduates
and alumnae both in the realm of professionalism,
and in intrapersonal affairs; she was pivotal
in the development of early sorority ethics
and procedure. Jenny set up the Judicial
Board, managed the Code of Ethics, and served
five terms on Sigma's National Judicial Board.
As a Founder of the sorority, she is admired
for her true dedication, spirit, and empathetic
input. Having
graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics
from The University at Albany, Jenny currently lives
and works in New York City and is an accountant
at Bear Stearns.
As a principal Founder of the sorority, Chinese-American
Sandra "Bones" Lam was instrumental
in forming the sorority's first partnerships
with local, regional, and national charities.
Her foresight provided inspiration for
Sigma Psi Zeta's affiliations with The
American Cancer Society and The American Heart Association, as well as
the University at Albany's Women's Center. She was known for her
unending enthusiasm and had an inclination toward spontaneous ideas. Her
love for aesthetics led her to pursue and complete an interdisciplinary
degree in Art History. Sandra completed her Master's in
Elementary Education and is teaching in Flushing, NY. She is
also sister-in-law to Allison "HiFi" Cheng,
who became Sigma's first Psi Sister inductee
and is also a sister in Sigma's Alpha Chapter.
Sister "O'Nay" was well-known for
her leadership ability and impeccable communication
skills. While in attendance at SUNY Albany,
she served the campus community all years
of her undergraduate career as the first
President of the Alpha Chapter, first President
of Sigma Psi Zeta's National Board of Directors,
President of the Asian American Alliance
and President of the Chinese Student Association.
In addition to leadership, her gift for communication
preceded her. She was the author of many
of the sorority's early documents, such as
the Herstory booklet and our Corporate Bylaws.
Leah graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor
of Science in Management and Information
Systems from the School of Business at the
University. Leah now
resides in New Hyde Park on Long Island.
She works for a consulting firm in Nassau County, plus is a part-time real estate
agent.
Sister "Minnie," a Principal Founder
of the sorority, was the first Alpha Chapter
Treasurer and alumnae member of Sigma Psi
Zeta. As an accounting major in the School
of Business, her analytical skills allowed
her to play an important role in managing
and allocating the finances of the sorority
thoughout her years as an undergraduate and
as an alumna. Serving as the first administrator of the sorority's
Corporate Fund, she was the purchasing agent for the original
silver "Founders Pin," which is
a rarity and an heirloom in Sigma Psi Zeta
today. Winnie lives and works in New York
City, where she currently holds a position
in management at Deutsche Bank.
Sister "Elle" immigrated from the
Philippines and settled in Rockland County,
New York and was the first New Member Educator
of Sigma Psi Zeta. As a result, she managed
the intake process of the Beta Chapter at
SUNY Binghamton. While an undergrad, Michelle
participated in a variety of leadership roles
and drew from her experiences. She was an active
executive board member of Liga Filipina at
SUNY Albany, President of the University's Asian
American Alliance, and volunteered
for The University's health center as an
emergency medical technician. Her genuine
concern for the well-being of others often
led her to hold chair and organizing positions
in the sorority's myriad of community service
efforts and projects. Having graduated summa
cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Biology,
Michelle currently works as a research scientist
for The City of New York's Board of Health,
and now resides in northern New Jersey.
New York City born and raised Sister "Hanna" was
the only one of the ten Founding Mothers to
major in East Asian interdisciplinary studies
while an undergraduate at the University
at Albany. Tiffany's chosen academic discourse
enabled Sigma Psi Zeta to develop, design,
and execute the new member program as it
relates to both traditional and contemporary
Asian-American society, while allowing her
to focus personally on her Korean-American
roots. Tiffany currently is an accountant
in a private construction company headquartered
in Manhattan, and resides in Queens, New
York.
As the sole Vietnamese-American founder of
Sigma Psi Zeta, Sister "Lolli" graduated
summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science
in Business from the University at Albany's School
of Business in 1996.
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Leah Yan aka O'Nay |
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