By: Darelis Ortiz Vega
On Oct. 3, The School of Arts and Sciences and the Spanish Club hosted a celebration that brought hundreds together.
Though the official dates for the Hispanic Celebration Month are Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, Saint Leo decided to dedicate the first week of Oct. to celebrating its Hispanic students and staff.
From the engaging sugar skull coloring sheets to the salsa dancing lessons, students and staff of all ethnicities came together to celebrate the Hispanic community. Megan Orendorf, Administrator for The School of Arts and Sciences, has helped organize the Hispanic Heritage Celebration since it first began. She sat at a table at the entrance of the event greeting everyone with a warm and welcoming smile.
“This is fun to be a part of,” said Orendorf. “It is so important to recognize the Hispanic culture since they are such a huge part of who we are.”
Karen Hannel, professor of Giants of the Arts and Arts of Appreciation, has also been doing the Hispanic Heritage Celebration since it Saint Leo began celebrating it some ten years ago. She spoke about the need for such celebrations.
“The purpose of this celebration is to heal some of the hatred brought on by racism,” she said. She further described how an event such as this one provides room for communication and understanding of different cultures.
Dr. Marcela Van Olphen, Spanish professor and Sponsor of the Spanish Club, also stood proudly by a table hosted by her Spanish class, which consisted of beautiful ceramics and woven baskets from Mexico. The table was always surrounded by students and staff who admired these works and enjoyed the jeopardy questions which tested their knowledge of the Spanish language.
“It is important to divulge culture. It is important to educate and to bring awareness to help appreciate and understand other cultures,” she said. “I am here because these are my roots. This is about bringing peace to the world. The Hispanic culture is extremely diverse and we ultimately all share common interests.” She spoke passionately about spending most of her life in Argentina, and her love for her country.
Though some students attended the event due to extra credit assignments offered by their teachers, a majority of the students were there out of personal interest.
Caroline Harvey, a Criminal Justice major, loved her time there as she learned how to dance salsa, and spoke about getting beat by the “red” team at a trivia session. The game consisted of questions about the many countries of South America, their geography, their foods, and famous people who originate from these. She had a good time teaching other students how to speak Spanish and was proud of her poster on Sonia Sotomayor, a Supreme Court Justice whom she is interested in.
At a table at the celebration, a drive and FundMe page was announced in hopes of raising donations and awareness to the countries that have been affected by the natural disasters which have occurred in these past few weeks. All of the proceeds will go to Caribbean countries who were affected by Irma and Maria, as well as Mexico. If you see a red, tall bin around campus, please stop and read the instructions to help collect the materials needed to help alleviate some of the stress and damage caused by these horrific storms.
The event encouraged students never to forget that all countries are family and that we should all be willing to help, even in the smallest ways possible.
