Austin Alumnae Panhellenic Association

Our first feature during this Jewish Heritage Month is Ruth Bader Ginsburg!

Born Joan Ruth Bader in March 1933 in Brooklyn, NY, she was the younger of two children of Nathan Bader, a merchant, and Celia Bader. She began to go by Ruth in kindergarten to distinguish herself from the other children named Joan.

Ruth went to Cornell on a full scholarship, and after graduating in 1954 and marrying her husband, she moved to Oklahoma after her husband was drafted into the Army. They moved to Massachusetts in 1956 where both Ruth and her husband could attend Harvard Law School together while raising their first child. Ruth completed her legal education at Columbia Law School, serving on the law review and graduating in a tie for first place in her class in 1959.

After teaching at Rutgers in the 1960s and becoming professionally involved in the issue of gender equality in the 1970s, Ginsburg was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals of D.C. by then President Jimmy Carter.

Ruth went on to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 to 2020 after being nominated by former President Bill Clinton and approved by a bipartisan Congress. She was the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court.

Our first AAPI feature of this month is Anna May Wong!

Born Wong Liu Tsong in the Chinatown area of Los Angeles in 1905 to Chinese-American parents, she was later given the English-language name Anna May.

She was American actress who overcame discrimination and racism to become one of the first Asian Americans to have a successful film career in Hollywood. Anna May appeared in more than 60 movies, including her debut at age 14 in the 1919 silent feature "The Red Lantern", and also acted on television and on the stage.

In 1960, she was the first Asian American woman to be awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 2022 she was the first Asian American to have her likeness be featured on U.S. currency!

For our last AAPA Scholarship & Awards Brunch celebration, the 2026 Panhellenic Woman of the Year was awarded to Alpha Gamma Delta alumna Elizabeth Jones! She was awarded this via past winners of this award. Join us in congratulating her for her work within Panhellenic this year!

Alpha Gamma Delta International Fraternity
Alpha Gamma Delta - Austin Alumnae Chapter

This month is Mental Health Awareness Month! It has been observed in the US since 1949 to reduce the social stigma of mental health issues and encourage education, care, and conversations to promote wellness. As a sisterhood, remember that no one has to carry anything alone - we are all here for each other as resources and support!