By Hadassa Ferreira, Arts & Culture Editor
The 21st century is all about globalization and diversity, and Saint Leo University is proof of that. At Saint Leo, there are many students from multiple social and cultural backgrounds, and this is why the Saint Leo leader students, such as resident assistants (RAs), are always putting effort into gathering students and incentivizing them to connect with each other.
On Sept. 18, one of Saint Leo’s RAs, Hanna Hanulik, a senior majoring in criminal justice, hosted an event, “Break Out of Your Shell,” to allow students to bond and get to know more about each other and their cultures. It happened in Apartment 3 at 7:15 p.m., and the event’s purpose was to gather students to eat tacos and talk with each other about their cultural backgrounds.
It is crucial to promote respect and intercultural connection among Saint Leo students. For that, Hanulik cooked tacos and promoted conversations among the students so they could share unique aspects about themselves.
“Come and talk about who you are. Your background, your history, your culture, and [help people to]respect that. Get to know your peers and learn how to respect them, their history, and their culture. This is why I wanted to host this program,” said Hanulik.
The fact that the event was a taco night demonstrates part of the multicultural aspect of Saint Leo. The Hispanic culture at Saint Leo is significant, and students from other cultures, beyond the Latin ones, are embracing aspects of Latin culture in the way they enjoy music, relate to each other, and, obviously, eat.
People tend to have fun and be comfortable when food is involved, as this creates a good environment for people to share their histories.
“I think people chat and get along more with food. So, I went to look for what people like the most, and tacos sounded like a good idea,” Hanulik added.
Events like “Break Out of Your Shell” are important for students to share their identities and find more people who identify with them. This identification process brings tolerance among students and allows them to respect different mindsets and opinions, and enjoy life on campus with each other, beyond their differences.
“Those events are a good bonding experience, but I also like to be involved. They [RAs] put a lot of work into those events, and I always try to stop and support them. I think that’s what college is about,” said Katherine Kirkwood, a senior student majoring in criminal justice.
College life is all about bonding with new people and supporting friends, and getting involved on campus provides students with an opportunity to do so. As young adults, college students need safe environments to begin networking and building friendships that will last. “Break Out of Your Shell” was an event to promote just that.
