By Joseph Luebbe, Staff Writer
Hispanic Heritage Month begins on Sunday, and Newman is joining the celebration.
The Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee is putting on the weeklong La Cadena series, and an opening event which will feature talks by alumni guest speakers, food and more.
The rest of the week will feature Hispanic food on campus.
Monday’s opening event will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Alumni Center in Dugan Library. There will be traditional food, including tacos, paletas, and aguas frescas, and the family-friendly event also will have a piñata and coloring activities.
A panel of Newman graduates will speak about their time at Newman and their Hispanic heritage.
“The panelists will share something about their educational and/or professional path, a challenge or obstacle they encountered, and recognize persons who encouraged them,” said Sonja Bontrager, assistant professor of Spanish and one of the organizers of the event.
“La Cadena is about recognizing previous members of HALO and MCLO that have done a lot of work to get HALO and MCLO started there at Newman,” said Micheal Asebedo, one of the panelists.
Adebedo also said he believes that the La Cadena event is about looking to the future.
DEI also wants the event to be a place where students can build connections and network with like-minded people.
Asebedo said that if there’s one thing he wants people to take away from Hispanic Heritage Month, it’s “networking, sharing resources, meeting new people (and) offering opportunities to new and upcoming individuals.”
Those who want to attend the event, which is free, should RSVP.
The rest of the La Cadena week will include traditional food served from noon to 2 p.m. in Dugan Library. Honduran baleadas will be served on Tuesday followed by Salvadoran pupsas on Wednesday, Peruvian food on Thursday, and Argentinian empanadas on Friday.
The panel speakers for La Cadena will include Asebedo, Brian Alvarez (2010), Andrea Marino (2018), Dania Jumpa (2021), and Stephania Lopez (2021).
PHOTO: Courtesy, Unsplash
