The 60th annual Tri Gamma charity fashion show has cemented the event as a verified Dons tradition. Tri Gamma, an academic sorority for future medical professionals was founded in 1946, and has upheld its core tenets of philanthropy and compassion since. For the past 60 years, the fashion show which features student models, has raised money for various Bay Area charities. This year’s show raised money for GLIDE Women’s Center.
JeTon Carey, a senior director at GLIDE, visited the fashion show as a representative of the charity. GLIDE Women’s Center in San Francisco offers support groups, counseling and emergency assistance to victims of domestic violence, women facing housing instability or struggling with substance abuse. GLIDE, based in the Tenderloin, emphasizes dignity and resilience as core tenets of their mission.
Tickets to this year’s fashion show cost between $10-15 for tickets, which automatically entered attendees into the raffle. The event featured fashion walks, dancing and a silent auction, with all proceeds going to GLIDE Women’s Center.
This year‘s co-chairs of philanthropy for Tri Gamma were senior nursing major Bao-An Tran and junior nursing major Asia Pham. As co-chairs of philanthropy, they were responsible for the fashion show which was described as a feat of planning. Pham said, “It was definitely super stressful at times, but I just had to keep reminding myself that it was all going to pay off.”
Tri Gamma’s motto, referred to as the “three G’s,” is goodness, generosity and graciousness. Those tenets were cited several times as important reasons why members of Gamma joined the sisterhood. Hayley Lum, a sophomore nursing major, and member of Tri Gamma said, “Being in an academic sorority, we’re always connected because we’re going through the same experience… Nursing majors go through so much… and I feel like I’ve gained so much support.”
Lum described the annual event centering new members first, with “bigs” taking charge behind the scenes. While new Gamma members walked the show, modeling donated Figs scrubs, USF athletics merchandise and outfits styled by local boutique No Rest for Bridget, more senior members worked the event. Senior members tabled, decorated and cheered on the new girls, “It’s mainly just a form of support for all of us to be there for them and encourage everybody to enjoy the show,” Lum said.
Tran and Pham described the planning process leading up to the event as a lot of outreach to possible sponsors. Tran said, “We reached out to a bunch of different brands to get merchandise that we could sell in an auction or raffle.” Popular donors included the San Francisco Giants who donated 30 ballgame tickets and Chipotle who donated gift cards. Other participating brands included Barry’s, donating a class pack, and Easy Breezy frozen yogurt. Pham said, “A lot of these local SF companies… they love to support and help wherever they can.”
The event, which featured performances by Vitality dance group, modeling by the Male Student Nurses Society and additional participation by other greek life organizations on campus, culminated in the annual senior send-off.
Tran described the tradition which takes place at the end of the event every year, “Each senior comes up with whoever they want to stole them. They each get a stole… and then they walk down and take pictures.” She described it as a favorite tradition from the event, “It’s like the first time you walk down as a model and then the last time you walk down as a future nurse.”
Each year builds on the last, as seniors graduate and new sisters model the show. After 60 years, the legacy of charity and support continues. “We’re an organization of future healthcare professionals and as women, we want to support other women,” Tran said on the importance of the event.
“I think that the biggest part of nursing is empathy,” Pham said, “Having those three Gs… it just helps us be more in tune with ourselves and remind everybody what we’re here for and why we do what we do.”
