The Dallas Texas Exes Chapter Celebrates Its Centennial

Looking out on Victory Park on a Sunday afternoon this April was a crowd of Longhorns, their burnt-orange attire bathed in the bright white light of a neon sign that read “DTE 100.” Rarely was the crowd still, moving between a market in the courtyard (that continued despite the morning’s drizzle) to audience seating for panels and special guest appearances, to the bar and the photobooth. Everyone came to celebrate a major milestone.

This year, the Texas Exes Dallas Chapter is celebrating its 100th anniversary. To mark the occasion, the chapter hosted the Deep in the Heart of Dallas Festival on April 12, which included a meet and greet with Vince Young, BS ’13, Life Member; an appearance from Texas Athletics director Chris Del Conte; panels with outstanding local alumni; presentations from UT admissions for local high school students, and more.  

“It’s just so cool to know that alumni came out here and decided to create this chapter to stay connected 100 years ago,” Monica Li, BS ’10, Dallas chapter president, says. “To know that it’s still going strong and that there are always alumni willing to help year after year is just such a warm, reassuring feeling.”  

Li’s dedication to the Dallas Chapter stems in part from her experiences with other chapters around the world. Because she travels frequently, she’s found herself at Chapter events in New York, the U.K., Los Angeles, and Philadelphia.

“I wish I could collect a pin from every chapter I went to,” Li says. “It’s become something I’ve thoroughly enjoyed, and it’s really lovely to feel like there’s a home for me anywhere in the world.”

Because of this appreciation, Li knew she had to do as much as she could for the Dallas Chapter’s centennial. Her dedication went as far as late night brainstorms with her chapter secretary (and roommate), Manolo Alvarez, BBA ’16, MBA ’22, Life Member. Li remembers panicking two days before the event because they may not have been able to color match the correct burnt orange for their Alcalde-themed photobooth.  

Among all her ideas, Li’s biggest goal was to have something at the party for everyone. To draw in more than just sports fanatics, she included activities for kids and families, such as face-painting and a coloring station; a vendor market featuring local and alumni-owned businesses, live music, and more.  

“The amount of people who crammed into that room made me so happy,” Li says. “Seeing this big sea of orange, getting to have people raise their horns up if they had been involved in the chapter before, if they had ever just volunteered, or if they were past presidents—it was so nice getting to recognize them amid the large crowd. Even though it was a large amount of people, it felt intimate, which I couldn’t have planned if I tried.”  

Another important consideration for Li and her planning committee was to draw out connection between the Texas Exes at large and the local community—to be “Dallas built, Dallas made,” as Alvarez puts it, to be the best of everything UT and Dallas.

“I hope the alumni who came, who have always been engaged with us, were able to fully celebrate with us and felt seen and cherished, because this was for them,” Li says. “And I hope the alumni who just found us or have never come to one of our events saw what a Texas Exes chapter is capable of bringing, and I hope they also understand what our missions are as a chapter.”  

The main mission—for the celebration and for everything the chapter does—is raising money for scholarships. As one of the largest Texas Exes chapters and one with a strong history of philanthropy, the Dallas Chapter has its own 501(c)(3) status, proof of its dedication to the mission. The chapter is leading a “100K for 100 Years” campaign, an effort to raise $100,000 for scholarships to commemorate the centennial.  

“Scholarships are why we are here today. This is the whole point of everything we do,” says Anne Marie Chadima, BA ’13, a Dallas Chapter board member. “Scholarships are our lighthouse. Everything we talk about needs to point back to this, because this is why we do anything.” 

“I hope that all of my board members and all of my current volunteers feel super empowered to know, ‘Wow, okay, we did that. What else can we do?’ Because I think we can do a lot more,” Li says. From here, the team wants to elevate their work even further, planning to host more vendor markets and continuing to find new ways to reach unengaged alumni.  

“This is how we continue to give back and get engaged and inspire the next generation, and find friends and family and relationships and loved ones and people that we lean on in tough times,” Alvarez says. “Community, it’s like a garden. You’ve got to water it.” 

CREDITS: Courtesy of the Texas Exes Dallas Chapter (6)