The Hispanic Latino Student Union (HLSU) held their annual Hispanic festival to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in the media center during lunch on Oct. 3.
HLSU is made up of about 40 students from all grade levels. The club is led by co-presidents and seniors Isabella Caban and Eliana Cortez, and is sponsored by world language teacher Elsa Schoberg.
The student union holds meetings once a month (usually on the second Thursday) in room 145. “During meetings we have games, food and spread awareness on certain issues that may be going on in the Latino community,” Caban said.
At the festival, members from the student union passed out pupusas, Jarritos and juice boxes throughout the event. Everyone in the school was welcome to attend and learn about Hispanic and Latino culture. “My favorite part of the festival was seeing how many people came to the Hispanic festival. It was impressive how much of the Wootton community came and supported Hispanic culture. It’s amazing seeing all the different cultures come together to honor Hispanic heritage,” sophomore Mathew Caban said.
In addition to the festival, HLSU is working to come up with more events to engage the school community. “We’re also trying to come up with new ideas for meetings, which may include watching a movie or cooking,” Cortez said.
The student union is also looking to increase the number of members involved. “We’re trying to post a lot on Instagram (@wootton_hlsu) to try to reach more people,” Cortez said.
In addition to Instagram, HLSU is also collaborating with other clubs to increase turnout. “We are collaborating with Hispanic Safe Zone (HSZ) and Spanish Honor Society (SHS). We plan to have joint meetings in the future, but so far this year we worked together to make the Hispanic Heritage Month slideshow for the town hall,” Caban said.
Hispanic Latino Student Union is active throughout the school year. The club has also been involved in raising money for the Latino community around the world. “My favorite part of being in the club is when we participate in the non-profit Pulsera Project, when we make bracelets. I love selling pulseras in the commons while meeting people who come to buy them. It’s always really exciting when we sell a pulsera and know that the money will go to help people in Central and South America,” Cortez said.
Similarly, Caban’s favorite memory from the club is also the Pulsera Project. “My favorite memory from being in the club was selling pulseras last year. From this fundraiser we raised over 200 dollars for families in South America,” Caban said.
A major focus of the club is the sense of community it builds. The Hispanic community at this school makes up about 8.7% of students. HLSU provides a space for these students, “My favorite thing about being a part of HLSU is feeling welcome in the community,” Caban said.
Editor’s note: this article has been updated from a previous version that omitted the title of co-president Eliana Cortez.
