Young women at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) gathered to create the Women’s Volunteer Organization. Their mission is to provide volunteer work and community service to the El Paso community while creating a safe place for women.
Building a community of women and teaching them how to give back is something UTEP student, Karmen Corona, 20, president of the Women’s Volunteer Organization holds close to her heart. Corona founded the Women’s Volunteer Organization in the fall 2024 semester. Corona said the outcome last semester was great, and at their first meeting of the spring 2025 semester on Feb. 4, the room overflowed with young women ready to make an impact.
The Women’s Volunteer Organization brings together these women by organizing group events dedicated to volunteer work. They participate in events such as dog walking, charity drives and volunteering at shelters and food banks.
Last semester, one of their biggest successes was a posada for the El Paso Center for Children. The Women’s Volunteer Organization provided food, toys and even dressed up as Disney princesses.
“When I [started] the organization, I was going to make it both genders,” Corona said. “But I just wanted to make something that was like a safe haven for girls, and we could help other people out. Just coming together and making a change in the world.”
Corona recruited a friend, Ana Victoria Galicia, 20, vice president, to help her build the foundation of the organization.
“When Karmen came to me with this idea, I was honestly totally on board,” Galicia said. “When we started helping people, seeing the smiles on their faces completely touched my heart, I just want to keep helping.”
Corona said she grew up watching her grandfather’s acts of kindness. She watched how he would organize posadas every Christmas to give back to his community and make kids smile.
“My grandpa passed away,” Corona shared. “I guess he was scared that I would forget him in such a way. But now, I have a whole organization of a bunch of girls living in the way that he thought life was meant to be lived.”
Corona hopes that her organization shows young women their impact on the world through paying acts of kindness forward while creating a safe community for them.
“Even just a small act of kindness can change someone’s whole life,” Corona said. “It’s all about showing the girls that. We want to make the girls feel comfortable enough to where they can be like ‘Hey something [bad] is happening,’ and we can help them out too.”
Corona said she takes pride in this organization. She’s able to give women an outlet to make connections with other women and takes it upon herself to give them a safe environment so they can continue working on community.
“It’s just about bringing so many girls together and making so much change,” Corona said. “It shows how much change women alone can do.”
The future of The Women’s Volunteer organization will allow Corona’s kindness to cross borders. Corona said her future goal is to expand their area of expertise by branching out their volunteer work to areas in El Paso’s neighboring city, Cd. Juarez, Mexico. The organization will soon be opening another branch with both genders at Arizona State University as well.
Jesie Garcia is a staff reporter and may be reached at [email protected] or on Instagram @empanaditawrites.
