Welcome to our 115th year of TUWA!
I am happy and honored to serve as your Tulane University Women’s Association President for 2025-2026. I earned my doctorate from Tulane in 2015 and currently practice as a child psychologist in New Orleans. I also teach in the Department of Psychology in the School of Science and Engineering as a Senior Professor of Practice, and have held this role since 2018.
At a training I once attended for children living with developmental disabilities, a speaker noted that she believed everyone should have a home. Although she believed in a literal family home to keep children safe, she was actually referring to a social home- a community of peers. Of course, given my line of work, I believe children deserve a sense of belonging and community in addition to academic instruction and expectations. We now know the importance of social and emotional learning during the formative years of childhood, which embraces concepts beyond friendship and extends to responsible citizenship and healthy relationships.
I embrace the idea of individual people mutually thriving in communities while young children, but also later throughout life. For this reason, I love the fellowship and impact of the Tulane University Women’s Association. Established in 1910, we are celebrating our 115th year. For well over a century, we have worked together to welcome all across our campuses and beyond. We create opportunities to engage with each other and share interests. We turn conversations into community events and new friendships. Our members regularly enjoy book, lunch, and activity groups. This year, we look forward to our fall coffee in September, where we will welcome each other back to campus and acknowledge our longtime member, Katherine Raymond, for her earning of the Suzanne and Stephen Weiss Presidential Fellows Award. In October, along with Alumni Relations, we’ll co-host our Breakfast and Business cards networking event. We will enjoy our fall tour in November at the Newcomb Art Museum of Tulane. December brings our signature event for members – our holiday party in the Bea Field Alumni House.
In my first message to our board and general body, I nervously said “excited” roughly 10 times during my speech. Although not nearly as eloquent as the speaker who first imparted her wise belief about community, I hope I can continue to express how joyful and optimistic I am about our group as we turn over a new academic year.
Alexandrs Zaballero Sims, PhD
TUWA President
ALAAMEA Representative
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