The Hispanic/LatinoStudent Union has officially joined the lists of clubs available for all students to join here at Bucks. The club had their first meeting early this semester and has been working hard since then to get their name known around campus.
Club co-presidents Lucero Roubert and Kassandra Castillo, alongside their club advisor Kristen Davila have been doing their part trying to advocate for and celebrate the Latinos in the Bucks community. Roubert told, “We’re definitely going ahead with planning our annual Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration.
We’re more than halfway done planning it and it’ll be a very exciting event!” The Hispanic Heritage Month event took place on Tuesday in the Gallagher room in the Newtown Campus and the clubs turnout exceeded everyone’s expectations. The event, hosted by the Hispanic/Latino Student Union was a celebration with authentic Mexican Mariachi, an abundance of Latin food, and even a trivia game with a winning prize. The room was scattered with flags of different Hispanic and Latino countries to represent all those in the community.
Joy and cheers filled the room as students and faculty alike all came together to watch the performance of the “Citlalli Authentic Band”. The band took requests and encouraged students to get up and dance to the rhythm of the music. “Last year the Gallagher room celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month but it was hosted by Student Life, not the HLSU. That celebration was the inception of our club. So many Latinos came to show their support and it made us realize there were so many of us here but there is nowhere for us to connect. After last years celebration we knew this was something that was long overdue.” said Castillo.
During the event, the club members announced they had plans to continue the Hispanic Heritage Month celebration with a table set up at next week’s Fall Fest on Oct. 14. During this time, people can come together to paint sugar skulls. The sugar skulls will then be showcased on the “ofrenda” or alter, that is part of the “Día De Los Muertos” (Day of the Dead) celebration that will be hosted by the HLSU at the end of the month.
This is a Mexican tradition that is held through Nov. 1 and 2. Families and friends get together to pay respects and remember those who have passed away. Food and decorations are heavily involved in this tradition. An announcement will be made soon on Suitable/Bucks+ to discuss the details of the event. When asked about the Day of the Dead event, Roubert explained, “We have a lot of groundwork already laid, it’s just the details we still need to work through but we’re looking forward to it.”
Besides planning up coming events, the weekly meetings do go over current events and anything Latino/Hispanic related. “We go over our weekly Spanish vocabulary list, we discuss important questions centered around Latinos/Hispanics, and plan for future events that can help others see our impact on campus.” Said Roubert. When asking Roubert what it meant for her to be a part of this club, she answered that it “Means having that space to be able to indulge in different things that matter to me pertaining to Latino and Hispanic culture. This is important because it also helps me meet other people with the same goal of joining and it gives me the time to give the same thing to them.”
Roubert continued, “Whether it’s learning anew word in Spanish or what the Hispanic/Latino experience is today in the modern-day world.” She believes that by being a part of the club, this “builds knowledge amongst each other and community through communication.” Additionally, Roubert and Castillo hope that their club will collaborate with another club that is centered around a minority group so that other clubs will be able to feel seen and understood. They believe that they will be able to spread inclusivity not just around the campus but in the community.
If you are interested in getting involved, contact [email protected]. Stay in the loop with their upcoming events by following their Instagram page, @bccc.hlsu.