Mesa College kicked off National Hispanic Heritage Month in style with an informative, music-filled Bienvenida, or “Welcome” event! While “Como la Flor” by Selena played in the background, students were able to eat and mingle amongst their peers while having direct access to school resources and groups.
Sept. 15 marks the beginning of National Hispanic Heritage Month, and runs through Oct. 15. National Hispanic Heritage Month was signed into law as an officially recognized month-long observation on Aug. 17, 1988. Every year there is a different theme, and the theme for 2023 is Todos Somos, Somos Uno: We Are All, We Are One. The term Hispanic refers to a person whose ancestry is from a country where the primary language is Spanish, while the term Latino refers to anyone with ancestry from Latin America.
The Bienvenida event was available to all students, but the main goal was to offer many important resources to the 40% of the student body that identifies as Hispanic or Latino. Students had access to many booths, including transfer, career and evaluations, Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS), the study abroad program, and many others.
Mesa College is a Hispanic Serving Institute (HSI), which means that at least a quarter of the student body identifies as Hispanic. If that requirement is met, funding is provided to ensure services and resources are available to these students to promote academic success. HSI Program Manager and Mesa math professor Toni Trejo Parsons believes that it is imperative to highlight the Hispanic and Latin-identifying members of the student body. When asked why it was so important to hold the Bienvenida event and the subsequent events during this month, she said, “at Mesa, 40% of our student population identifies as Latino or Hispanic. They’re the single largest group that we have on campus, so recognizing the largest student population and their heritage and culture is bringing awareness.” She went on to say, “we are here to serve them, and serve a population that has been historically underserved in higher education.”
Of the many booths that were available to students, the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx de Aztlán or MEChA, a student-run club, was there to allow students to become more involved and connect with other students with similar backgrounds. Business major and MeChA External and Internal Representative and Social Media Manager Aaron Pischke believes MeCha is there to truly support their fellow Latin students. “We are here to support Latino heritage,” Pischke said. “We just want to keep Latino heritage here in San Diego.” The club will be having its first official meeting on Sept. 27, from 3-4 p.m. in G-103 for all interested.
Here is a link to all of the upcoming Hispanic Heritage Month events at Mesa: Latino/a/e Heritage Month
