By Sayuri Vargas-Hernandez, Staff Writer
Hispanic Heritage Month, called “Viva la Cultura,” took place on Oct. 2 at the Student Community Center (SCC) boardrooms. This event was held to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, an annual observance that takes place from Sep. 15 until Oct.15 in the United States.
The Campus Activities Board (CAB) decided to celebrate with the purpose of creating a fun moment for a diverse group of students. Students come to Saint Leo University from all different parts of the world such as Mexico, Colombia, Cuba, El Salvador, and Honduras. Participating in events like this one makes Saint Leo feel like a home away from home for these students.
Students had the opportunity to share something special or popular from their country.
For example, Miranda Galaviz, a senior majoring in Biomedical Science stated that in Mexico,they eat a lot of tacos, corn, and tortillas with salsa. Whenever she has a chance to go back home with family, she spends as much time with her grandparents since family always comes first.
The event began at 5:30 p.m., allowing students to enjoy tacos and empanadas prepared by Saint Leo Dining Hall, as well as refreshments such as water, horchata, and melon.
After the students had finished enjoying the food, it was time for them to play some Mexican bingo, known as “loteria”. The Italians created this game in the 14th century and then passed it to Mexico in the late 17th century. Only wealthy Mexicans were allowed to play loteria.
Even though Mexicans don’t play it anymore, they keep it as one of their most treasured traditions.
CAB also provided cool surprises for the winners, including TVs, a coffee maker, a Nintendo Switch, Beats headphones, and a digital camera.
Students get excited and compete to win these great prizes. It was one of the most fun parts of the event.
“The event went really well; students were extremely engaged in the loteria game. They also enjoyed the food and the drinks. Hopefully, we can do it again,” said Trinity Palacious, a junior,majoring in Economics and minoring in Human Resources Administration.
Viva la Cultura was a fun and memorable event designed to bring students together to celebrate Hispanic culture through food, games, and prizes.
Students laughed, played, and shared traditions from their homes and made memories that they won’t forget. Students are already looking forward to next year’s event.
