By Sayuri Vargas-Hernandez, Contributing Writer
The end of Sept. and beginning of Oct. are about celebrating Hispanic characters and communities. Hispanic Heritage Month means a lot for Hispanic and Latino communities.
It is a month that allows people to learn more about their community and introduces new people to why Hispanic people honor individuals who have impacted society in America.
On Thursday, Oct. 3, President Emily Dominguez and Vice President Brianna Rodriguez, both seniors majoring in social work, organized an event to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. The event aimed to teach about different characters that positively influenced the Hispanic/Latino community through the showcasing of a short presentation.
During the event, Vice President Brianna Rodriguez mentioned the importance of giving extra recognition to characters, such as Pedro Albizu Campus, the first Puerto Rican to attend and graduate from Harvard Law School, and Sonia Sotomayor, the first American Latina Supreme Court Justice, whose voice is a key to racial equality.
“We want to continue celebrating Latinos and Hispanics’ contributions to our country and bringing that advocacy here like these people did many years ago,” said Rodriguez.
After the presentation, students had the opportunity to play Loteria. This is a Mexican board game of chance, similar to bingo; it includes elements of indigenous culture and folklore.
Students of Hispanic and non-Hispanic origin made and brought food from their country, such as empanadas, chips with avocado, Jarritos beverages, and candies. Food-related events are more enjoyable for students because they get them involved and encourage fellowship. Here, the empanadas were students’ favorite food to try.
“My husband is a professional chef who loves to cook, so he made empanadas since he is originally from the Dominican Republic,” said Christine Nieves, a veteran student majoring in social work.
Nieves also mentioned, “I may be older than most students here at Saint Leo and have a different outlook, but I love celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month because it brings unity and allows me to interact with the Social Work Club and students from various backgrounds.”
Events such as these are a great opportunity for students to learn about different cultures, foods, and even languages. Since Saint Leo University is a campus with vast diversity, this event was able to showcase even just a small reflex of the mix of cultures we have inside the Saint Leo community.
