On Jan. 8, the University of Denver’s Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA) chapter celebrated its third year on campus with food, community and fun. 

Initially founded in 1972, ALPFA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing its members with career growth and leadership opportunities. The organization is actively expanding access to professional development for thousands of students.

During the first hour of the event, students, faculty and community members socialized and reconnected after returning to campus following DU’s winter break. 

Amy Cerna, the chapter’s president, said the organization wanted to host a social event to kick off the quarter, given the career-focused and overall heavier events they held last quarter. 

“We also wanted to celebrate resilience because of the tense political climate we’ve been seeing in the past year,” said Cerna, a fourth-year student studying business information analytics and psychology.

In addition to the many students and faculty members who attended, members of the Denver chapter’s ALFPA board came to celebrate. Of this group, DU alum Marisol Jara was also in attendance. 

Jara graduated from the Daniels School of Business in 2023 and founded ALFPA DU three years ago. Jara was notably proud of the organization’s growing success over the past few years. 

“I’m just amazed at how much this organization has grown in the past three years,” Jara told the audience of about 70 attendees. 

Jara was recently appointed president of Denver’s ALPFA chapter.  

The festivities ended with the cutting of the birthday cake and piñata bashing with some lucky surprises inside. 

Be sure to follow ALPFA DU on Crimson Connect and Instagram for more updates throughout the quarter.