Arkansas

Latina-Based Sorority Debuts at Arkansas Tech – Arkansas Tech University

Published

2 years ago

May 1, 2024

Latina-Based Sorority Debuts at Arkansas Tech – Arkansas Tech University

The founding members of Sigma Iota Alpha at Arkansas Tech University are (from left-to-right): Noelia Santos, Sofia Guerrero, Jazzy Trejo, Andrea Arenales, Perla Ramirez, Jacqueline Hernandez and Yasmin Pacheco.

Seven Arkansas Tech University students are the founding members of the institution’s Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha Incorporada chapter.

Sigma Iota Alpha states on its website that it is “a Latina-based sorority devoted to serving our community while fostering a sense of pride and respect in our heritage.”

Sofia Guerrero of Hot Springs is the first president of Sigma Iota Alpha at ATU.

“We get a lot of acknowledgement during Hispanic Heritage Month when we have events, but I made it a goal of mine this year and in upcoming years to have an ongoing awareness of our Hispanic population at ATU,” said Guerrero. “It’s important for us to be heard, seen and respected. We have come this far, not only for us, but also for our parents. Sigma Iota Alpha ties in the values, virtues and traditions we grew up with. One of our big goals is sharing that culture.”

Guerrero is joined in the ATU chapter of Sigma Iota Alpha by fellow members Andrea Arenales of Little Rock, Jacqueline Hernandez of Bentonville, Yasmin Pacheco of Hot Springs, Perla Ramirez of Hot Springs, Noelia Santos of Hot Springs and Jazzy Trejo of Rogers.

“For me, it was having that culture and bond with people similar to me,” said Ramirez.

The ATU Sigma Iota Alpha chapter was chartered on Sunday, April 7. Guerrero represented the group during the ATU Evening of Excellence on Monday, April 29, and the establishment of the chapter was announced to the ATU students, faculty and staff in attendance by Rhylie Gachot, ATU assistant director for campus life.

“I feel so proud,” said Trejo. “I worked for this. This is part of who I am. We’re all one. I feel like it’s made a big impact in my life already, and we just started.”

Founded in 1990, Sigma Iota Alpha was established by 13 women attending four institutions in New York: State University of New York (SUNY) Albany, SUNY Stony Brook, SUNY New Paltz and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Over the past 30-plus years, the sorority has chartered chapters in New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, Georgia, Florida, Arkansas, Illinois, Michigan, Texas and California.

“Having that sisterhood is one of the best things because we can go to each other,” said Santos. “There have been so many times when we have motivated each other. Sometimes you just need another person to tell you that you can do it. It’s been really beneficial.”

Sigma Iota Alpha states on its website that it strives “to increase awareness of the Latino culture, promote sisterhood and leadership, serve as role models and achieve academic excellence.”

The sorority’s motto is semper unum et inseparabilis (always one and inseparable).

“It’s going to enhance our experience because we will meet people who are willing to help us socially and academically,” said Pacheco. “We’re going to have that support system to lean on, which is really important, especially for first-generation students. Going into this, I didn’t expect to get so close with the girls. I don’t go more than half a day without texting at least one of them. Some of us were already friends before this started, but we’re closer than that now. We actually are sisters.”

The ATU members of Sigma Iota Alpha are exploring community outreach options for the 2024-25 academic year, including reading to children at local elementary schools and volunteering at non-profit organizations that serve the local Hispanic population. They also plan on engaging in campus-based volunteerism opportunities such as the annual Green and Gold Give Back.

“I am a part of something bigger than myself,” said Hernandez. “I am SIA. I am part of that, and I represent that when I wear my letters.”

The founding members of Sigma Iota Alpha at ATU will continue to develop their colony culture during the fall 2024 semester with a goal of participating in new member recruitment during the spring 2025 semester.

“Wearing these letters is a remembrance that we did this, we made it, we overcame and we put in that work,” said Guerrero. “It wasn’t just for us, but for future generations that are coming to Arkansas Tech and want to find an organization that represents them, their goals, their virtues and what they want to develop in life. It’s a big wow moment for us.”

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Arkansas

Arkansas driver’s licenses and state IDs now available in Apple Wallet

Published

9 hours ago

June 3, 2026

Press Room

Arkansas driver’s licenses and state IDs now available in Apple Wallet

Arkansans can now present their driver’s licenses and state identification cards on mobile devices using Apple Wallet, state finance officials announced Wednesday.

The Department of Finance and Administration said Arkansans can use Apple Wallet to present their license or ID in person, online and in apps at select organizations, including at more than 250 Transportation Security

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Arkansas

Your Arkansas Driver’s License Can Now Live on Your iPhone

Published

19 hours ago

June 2, 2026

Press Room

Your Arkansas Driver’s License Can Now Live on Your iPhone

IDEMIA Public Security North America and the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration’s Division of Driver Services and Motor Vehicles have launched Arkansas driver’s licenses and state IDs in Apple Wallet, allowing residents to securely store and use their credentials on an iPhone or Apple Watch.

The new feature gives Arkansans the ability to present their identification at participating businesses and venues, at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints in more than 250 airports, and online or within apps when age or identity verification is required.

The launch builds on Arkansas’ ongoing efforts to expand digital identification options. In March 2025, the state introduced the Arkansas Mobile ID app, and officials say adding IDs to Apple Wallet offers residents another secure and convenient way to access their credentials.

“We’re proud to build on our partnership with the Arkansas DFA’s Division of Driver Services and Motor Vehicles, expanding on the launch of the Arkansas Mobile ID app in March 2025. The launch of ID in Apple Wallet in the state provides Arkansas residents a new, secure way to store and present their digital credentials, with transparency and control over how their information is shared at the forefront,” said Rob Gardner, CEO, IDEMIA Civil Identity.

To add an Arkansas driver’s license or state ID to Apple Wallet, users can tap the plus sign at the top of the Wallet app on their iPhone, select “Driver’s License or State ID,” and follow the verification process.

Officials say privacy and security were central considerations in the rollout. Information stored in Apple Wallet is encrypted on a user’s device, and users control when and how their information is shared. When presenting an ID, only the information necessary to verify age or identity is provided.

Apple and the Arkansas Division of Driver Services and Motor Vehicles also do not receive information about when or where residents use their digital IDs.

The technology is also designed to make verification easier for businesses. Participating businesses can use IDEMIA’s Mobile ID Verify app to accept and verify mobile IDs directly from an iPhone without requiring customers to hand over their devices or use additional hardware.

The launch marks another step toward broader adoption of digital credentials in Arkansas, giving residents a secure alternative to carrying a physical driver’s license or state ID while maintaining control over their personal information.

For information on the launch of IDs in Apple Wallet in Arkansas, click here.

READ ALSO: Adam O’Neal Stepping into Chancellor Role at UA-EACC

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Arkansas

Arkansas gymnatics coach Chris Brooks completes staff with hiring of Zan Jones | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Published

1 day ago

June 2, 2026

Press Room

Arkansas gymnatics coach Chris Brooks completes staff with hiring of Zan Jones | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

New Arkansas gymnastics coach Chris Brooks announced Monday the hiring of Zan Jones to complete his first staff, as well as the promotion of assistants Kyla Ross and Catelyn Branson.

Brooks succeeded his wife, Jordyn Wieber, on April 28 after Wieber stepped down.

Jones joins the Razorback after two seasons as an assistant coach at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas. The Pioneers won back-to-back Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics National Invitational Championship titles in 2025 and 2026 with Jones on staff. He has been named a Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association Division II assistant coach of the year three times, including this spring.

Jones also earned Midwest Independent Conference assistant coach of the year in both of his seasons at Texas Woman’s.

Jones served as the Pioneers’ primary vault and uneven bars coach, and the team set a program record of 49.35 on the bars in March.

An Alabama alumnus, Jones served as a student manager for the Crimson Tide gymnastics team. He served a year at Talladega (Ala.) College in its inaugural season of gymnastics and spent time as a recreational and team coach at Trussville (Ala.) Academy of Gymnastics.

Brooks also promoted both Ross and Branson to the title of associate head coach. Ross, a former UCLA gymnast and Olympic gold medalist as part of Team USA in 2012, started at Arkansas as a volunteer assistant in 2022. Ross helped Arkansas produce program records on the balance beam in back-to-back years before taking over the vault squad, which set a program high 49.675 in 2026.

The Razorbacks ranked as high as No. 2 on the vault last season and were never lower than No. 7. Senior transfer Morgan Price landed the first 10 in school history on the vault in February.

Branson returned to the Arkansas staff ahead of the 2025 season, helping lead the floor squad. In that time, Branson has led the Gymbacks to two of their top five best floor scores ever and Arkansas has been ranked as high as No. 2 in the country on floor in the last two seasons. In 2026, over 60% of the team’s scores on floor were 9.85 or better.

Branson served as Lindenwood’s head coach from 2022-24, where she was named 2024 Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association South Central Region Coach of the Year and the Midwest Independent Conference Coach of the Year. She led the Lions to their second consecutive and fifth overall USAG national championship and seventh MIC title in 2024.

Branson had a prior stint at Arkansas from 2020 to 2022, in which time the Gymbacks ranked as high as third on beam and second on floor.

Tom Murphy

tmurphy@wholehogsports.com

Tom Murphy is a sports reporter for WholeHogSports. A graduate of Louisiana Tech University, he is a member of the Football Writers Association of America and voter for the Heisman Trophy and AP Top 25 football poll. He was voted the 2017 Arkansas Sportswriter of the Year.

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