‘We want people to come and celebrate with us’
Gather for Culture event ends Hispanic Heritage Month
The Center for Student Inclusion and Diversity (CSID) was teeming with students on Oct. 15, as the Office of Multicultural Academic Student Services (MASS) hosted the final Hispanic Heritage Month event called 'Gather for Culture: HHM Edition.'
The open room was filled with various savory and sweet dishes that stem from Brazilian, Caribbean and Mexican heritage:
- Churros
- Mini Potato Flautas
- Mini Brazilian Vegetable Coxinha
- Platanos Fritos
- Beef Enchiladas
Sophomore Britney Hill was in attendance and said she enjoyed the food.
“I love the beef enchiladas,” Hill said. “They’re my favorite.”
Students also gathered and played Lotería, or Mexican Bingo.
Assistant Director of Latinx/Hispanic American Student Engagement for MASS Alex Gradilla said that he and his office hope to both celebrate and bring awareness to the many heritage months that the university recognizes.
“We want people to come and celebrate with us because that’s what we do when we’re being inclusive,” Gradilla said. “One of our main pillars here is to be inclusive, to build a community, to have a sense of belonging but without being exclusive to other groups on campus. So we try to create welcoming spaces.”
For the past month, MASS and various RSOs have celebrated HHM with 18 events, from homemade tortilla making to performances from Ballet Folklorico de la Luz and forums about Hispanic and Latine cultures.
Sophomore Amy Resendiz-Salazar who attended the Gather for Culture and many of the other HHM events said that it’s important for CMU to celebrate.
“As someone who is Hispanic, I think it’s really important that the university and the MASS office make efforts to celebrate and create meaningful events that bring everyone together,” Resendiz-Salazar said.
Junior Emily Andersen attended a number of the university’s HHM events with Resendiz-Salazar and said it was great to see and learn more about her close friend's heritage and culture.
“Especially with Amy and I being so close, they let me try food that she has at home that is part of her culture,” Andersen said.
This year’s theme for HHM was “Pioneers of Change: Shaping the Future Together.” President of The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) LucÍa DomÍnguez said that she sees that message reflected in the work that her peers achieve.
“Latinos in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) programs, they’re all doing research where they are the first to do it,” DomÍnguez said. “So for me, that really does highlight pioneers.”
She said that all the students who create events surrounding their interest and passion are another way of shaping the future.
“Having students take whatever they’re passionate about and make that into an event, for me, that is a pioneer,” DomÍnguez said. “ Someone that wants to do an event, they haven’t seen anyone talk about the topic, so they decide ‘Hey, I want to.’ I think it’s so, so impressive.”
Dominguez hosted an event earlier this month called “Latinidad is Canceled: A Study of Race in Latino America,” where she spoke about the variety of cultures within Latin America.
“I’m a big fan of celebrating the past, celebrating the present but also celebrating the future,” she said.
More information on future events on upcoming heritage month celebrations can be found on MASS’s webpage.
