The country’s oldest Indigenous sorority — Alpha Pi Omega (APiO) — will be turning 28 years old on Sep. 1 in remembrance of Founder’s Day. The sorority founded its first chapter, UNC's Alpha chapter, in 1994, and has had members from more than 130 tribes over the years and has 24 chapters chartered nationwide.
APiO was founded by four women representing the Lumbee and Coharie tribes, known in the organization as the Four Winds: Jamie Goins, Shannon Brayboy, Christina Strickland and Amy Locklear.
Hayley Jacobs, a senior and the current president of UNC’s chapter, said APiO's mission is to support Indigenous women throughout both college and life.
“It’s so important to have an Indigenous sorority on campus because we are the minority of the minority,” Jacobs said in an email statement. “Sometimes that means we may need a little more support.”
Senior Mikayah Locklear, who serves as the organization’s vice-president, treasurer and historian, said her favorite memory is the night she officially became a member of APiO, a group she feels is now a part of her identity.
Jacobs said her involvement with the sorority does not end after graduation, as she plans on joining one of APiO’s regional professional chapters.
“We want to make sure those girls are still feeling included in the events in years to come — not just when they’re in college because our goal is to support them throughout their lives and not just in college,” Jacobs said.
The sorority’s motto is “My sister as myself,” and APiO has expanded its chapters to other institutions such as Oklahoma State University.
Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton, who attended OSU and serves as the Grand Public Relations Director for APiO, said she has been in the role since 2006, and it meant the world to her when there were other women who could empathize with her experiences.
