Saadia Anwaryan

Displaying cultural attire and decorations across tables in Nobel commons, Hispanic Culture Club spreads their Hispanic culture in a variety of ways. “The Hispanic Heritage Event celebrated various Hispanic cultures most simply by asking [people] to help share their culture,” Flores-Diaz said. “We tried to feature a diverse variety of tables representing 10 different countries in Latin America, which were filled with food and decorations from the respective country.”

Banda playing, the smell of food rich with spices all around you and a lively diverse community blossoming in Nobel commons. On Oct. 18, Hispanic Community Club (HCC) was able to create this experience for everyone to enjoy.

Free for all to attend, this event spread the small but strong Hispanic culture throughout Jefferson, even to many non-Hispanic people who weren’t familiar with the culture.

“The purpose of the event was primarily to put on display the vibrant Hispanic culture that is present at [Jefferson], as well as demonstrate the wide diversity that exists in the Latin world,” senior activities coordinator Jesus Flores-Diaz said.

During the event set-up and experience, even non-Hispanic students were able to contribute and create unique experiences while mixing cultures.

“Before the event started, seeing everyone helping us decorate was really nice [and] seeing the different ethnicities and stuff, like people that weren’t necessarily Hispanic,” senior co-president Abby Sanchez said. “We had so many non-Hispanics at the event, and seeing them dancing to the music and trying the different foods and saying, ‘oh, this is really good’ was kind of interesting. We were able to reach that goal [by having] other people be exposed to that Hispanic culture.”

Despite personal or academic struggles, students were able to successfully put together and enjoy this event.

“I feel like, in [Jefferson], we’re put in this culture where it’s all academics, but a lot of Hispanic people have different backgrounds. Our family situations are a lot different than other people in the school,” Sanchez said. “We can all kind of support one another. I feel like the Hispanic community [at] TJ is very unified.”

Throughout the event, musical and visual performances took place, such as Banda, orchestra performances and runway showcases of cultural attire.

“[There was] a performance referred to as Banda, a music genre that has its origins in northern Mexico,” Flores-Diaz said. “There were also other activities and performances, such as the attire showcase in which students [wore] pieces of traditional cultural attire from different countries. Those pieces would be on display for people to see and admire the diversity that exists within the Latino world.”

Traditional cultural foods were provided by contributing volunteers and catering companies to bring a wide variety of dishes to the event.

“In regards to bringing food, there was a fair bit of collaboration, in which a lot of it was brought by volunteers, whether that be like parents of the parents of [Jefferson] students that just wanted to help out with the event,” Flores-Diaz said. “We did call upon the Latino community at [Jefferson] to help, but there was also a fair bit of catering.”

Reaching out to everyone at Jefferson and expanding cultural awareness were major expected outcomes of the event. With many new opportunities to experience the tastes and music, students got a new understanding of Hispanic culture.

“Different ingredients and flavor palettes which you may not have been exposed to before can really be a special experience,” senior president Sarah Castillo said. “The goal is that people find something they love just the same as the people who brought it and can bond and look forward to such a personal and sincere part of one’s culture.”

With a goal of spreading Hispanic culture and ideas to many non-Hispanic students, HCC attempted to create an exciting and enjoyable event for all.

“The Latino community at TJ is quite small in comparison to other student bodies in regards to ethnic background, and so we just wanted to have our culture on display for people to enjoy, regardless of whether they were Latino or not,” Flores-Diaz said. “Just have everyone get together and have a good time.”