Sunshine Tularnon, a brand new recruit, and Celeste Lagman, a veteran sister, are both preparing to attend their first formal as actual members. They are set apart by years but will experience this event together for the first time.
Tularnon, a sophomore in the College of Health Sciences, and Lagman, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences, are both members of Delta Xi Phi Multicultural Sorority, Inc., but they’ve never attended the annual formal. Tularnon only joined a few months ago, but Lagman has never gone because the pandemic canceled the formal for the past two years.
The Starry Night Masquerade put on by Delta Xi Phi will be held April 23 in the Alumni Memorial Union. Proceeds from the event and prior fundraisers will go toward the sorority’s philanthropy, the American Cancer Society.
The sorority is hosting fundraisers before the gala to raise more money for ACS. These events include partnerships with local restaurants, such as SereniTea, and sales of cultural goods, such as egg rolls, around campus.
Both Tularnon and Lagman said they are excited for the event and look forward to a night of performances, dancing and generosity.
“I’m hoping that we can raise a lot of money for ACS; that would be a nice end to my senior year,” Lagman said.
“The day of formal is going to be a busy day, but I’m excited to spend most of my day with everyone and spend more time together because we’re all busy and it’s hard for us to hang out outside of time as a chapter,” Tularnon said.
Marquette’s Day of Service overlaps with the day of the formal, so there is a group of sisters who will be volunteering before getting ready for the event. Volunteering and working within the community is another way for the sisters to bond while also giving back.
The environment and family aspect of the sorority is what drew Tularnon in. She is looking forward to growing those relationships.
“It’s like a sister connection that I never had, and I feel like I could ask the upperclassmen anything about everything, and I just really enjoyed that,” Tularnon said. “They were really nice and welcoming the first time I met all of them and I had this feeling that, like, we’re going to all be friends for a long time.”
Alumni are still connected through these bonds and relationships. Former active member Aliah Taylor graduated from Marquette University in 2016 but she still attends the sorority’s events to support the next generation of sisters.
“To see the active sisters now, continue to grow and thrive and build the events how they want to uphold our pillars and values is the most heartwarming thing for me,” Taylor said.
When she was in college, Taylor attended the annual formal four times, which left her with many precious memories. She explained how proud she felt during the fundraising portion of the night, but also the happiness and joy she experienced during the performances and mingling with the guests.
In the past, the event has had performances from groups such as the Marquette Bhangra Academy. The planning committee is working together with student organizations right now to gather more performers for the masquerade.
“One of our sisters is in Marquette Bhangra Academy and I think she’s going to perform with them, which will be really fun. We have other performances planned, but we’re still finalizing a schedule so I can’t give away too much detail right now,” Lagman said.
One of the sorority’s core pillars is increasing multicultural awareness and these performances by different cultural groups allow them to display their values to the event’s guests.
Learn more about how to support Delta Xi Phi Multicultural Sorority, Inc. and their philanthropy, the American Cancer Society, on their Instagram, @deltaxiphieta.
This story was written by Izzy Fonfara Drewel. She can be reached at [email protected].
Check out the audio package for this story by A&E Audio Producer Julianna Okosun.
