100 Collegiate Women of America Launched at Prairie View A&M University

The lives of forty-one young women were transformed following recent their induction into the 100 Collegiate Women of America™ at Prairie View A&M University. The 100 Collegiate is one of the nation’s newest organizations for college and university students. It was created at the university in May 2011.

Why do colleges and universities need another organization you may ask? Well the organizers believe this organization is needed because it is one of the few that will focus on empowering its membership and equip them to help others. The organization is open to college women who are progressive in their thoughts and actions, committed and dedicated to the cause of all humanity.

The mission of the 100 Collegiate Women of America is to increase and provide opportunities to empower and improve the quality of life for women and to influence development at all levels of society. Guided by its motto: to engage, educate, empower and inspire others to greatness, the organization hopes to fulfill its mission. The key programs for the group include mentoring, education, economic empowerment and health and wellness.

The 100 Collegiate Women is an outgrowth of an idea for an organization by Frederick V. Roberts, former Assistant Director of Career Services at Prairie View A&M University and a program initiative of the Collegiate 100 at the university. According to Roberts, who created the Collegiate 100 organization in 1993, women were part of that group at first. However, the affiliation with the 100 Black Men of Metropolitan Houston, Inc. and the 100 Black Men of America, Inc. in 1994, the membership focus was only on the college men.

With the reactivation of the Collegiate 100 at Prairie View A&M University in March 2011 and the subsequent induction of the men into the chapter, there was a renewed interest in a women’s group. Realizing the commitment to the young men in bringing the group back to campus, Roberts and the men decided to delay creating that group.

Following the induction of the Collegiate 100 and the urging of Dymonique Burton, Vice President of the group, Roberts developed a committee and began work on creating the 100 Collegiate Women of America. The group is a non-profit organization and plans to expand to colleges and universities nationwide.

Beginning in September, Roberts, Burton and Travis Reed, the Collegiate 100 president, met with several young women to who had expressed interest in the organization to discuss the rollout of the organization. Roberts appointed Elixia Robinson-White, a senior education major from Desoto, Texas, as the organizing Chair/President. They were also offered membership into the new group.

Word about the organization spread like wild fire and the result was the induction of the 41 college women and several honorary members including Mrs. Johnie Walker, assistant coordinator for alternative teacher certification and Dr. De Linda Marzette, language professor at Prairie View A&M University, who serves as the organization advisers. Other honorary members are Glenda Jones, Director, Career Services, Shadia Washington and Emebet Admasu, Corporate Relations and Administrative Assistant in Career Services, Dr. DeAndrea Hughes, Talent Search at Texas Southern University, Amy Charleston, Dramatic Teacher and Attorney Evangeline Mitchell, founder of Black Pre-Law Conference, Houston.

Since the ceremonies, requests have been received for chapters at the Texas Southern University, University of Houston, University of North Texas and University of Indiana. Roberts and the group look forward to the launching 100 Collegiate Women of America chapters to these campuses by 2012.

For information on the organization write: The 100 Collegiate Women of America, P. O. Box 5433, Prairie View, TX 77446 or collegiatel00women@gmail.com.