Original article written in Spanish by Mayra Villanueva, Spanish Editor.

Hispanic Heritage Month started on campus with a Carne Asada, or barbeque, where there were tacos, beverages, a piñata and live music playing in the background.

There is no doubt that the Latino population on campus has been growing steadily, but it was much more evident seeing many Latin students gathered to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, and it has only one purpose: to celebrate what we are and how we are.

On Wednesday, Sept. 13, UNIdos organized a Carne Asada event where many people attended and were able to enjoy the social atmosphere and being able to share Latin culture together.

In addition, many students signed up to contribute with food, beverages, and snacks so everyone could share. Without a doubt, this event demonstrated the customs and values that we as Latinos share.

The president of UNIdos, Yessenia Rodríguez, commented the reason for this event, saying, “We organized this event to have a good beginning to Latin Heritage Month. The Carne Asada was a way to show others what UNIdos is, to share delicious food and to invite people to bring their own food to share with everyone. This is something that UNIdos has also done before, like back in 2019, and that was an event where people got to know other Latine students and people could feel like they were at home.”

Rodríguez mentioned that the executive board expected around 50-60 people, but the attendance exceeded their expectations and a lot more people arrived. “It was a successful event!” said Rodriguez. 

Heden Peréz, co-host of the event and president of Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity, Inc. commented, “I didn’t expect to see so many people at Seerley Park for some tacos, but it was a very pleasant surprise.” 

Perez also spoke about the impact of the event and that he was a witness of “the unity that we have as students, Latines, and students of color.”

Elise DuBord, Ph.D, a Spanish professor at the university, also attended the event to accompany and be part of this celebration. She said, “I know that the pandemic has had a negative impact on student organizations these past two years, and it makes me very happy to see such an active participation of students in UNIdos and in this event.” 

DuBord congratulates all those who made this event possible and for the other events yet to come.

UNIdos has planned many more events that will take place during the next couple of weeks with the goal of celebrating Hispanic heritage and being able to have a connection on campus with Latinos and thus be able to share Latino culture with everyone on campus. Everyone is cordially invited to participate.