Hispanic Heritage Club hosts Kickoff Celebration, plans collaborations for the future
(Photo by D. Schmidt)
President of Hispanic Culture Club Itzel Hernandez (right) and founding member of Deaf Culture Club Michael Hoffa (left).
By Dylan Schmidt
The Hispanic Heritage Club hosted a kickoff celebration, with food, music, and club interaction, in the Student Services Center on Tuesday, Sept. 15, in celebration of the start of their version of Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs until Oct. 28.
Hispanic Heritage Club President Itzel Hernandez said the goals of this event are to increase its membership while also informing students about Hispanic culture and its different demographics.
“Hispanics aren’t just one big culture,” Hernandez said. “So we want to kind of explore all the different categories of Hispanic culture.”
The club already has a whole month’s worth of activities planned. They have, throughout the length of their extended version of Hispanic Heritage Month, events running from Sept. 15 through Oct. 28. Itzel hopes to see a high turnout for their club after the kickoff celebration for these events.
“After we get a good audience to come to our meetings, we want to figure out ways to do more activities and events,” Hernandez said. “We even want to take field trips to Hispanic festivals. That's what we hope to achieve.”
Collaborations with other organizations are also in the works for the Hispanic Culture Club. Anna Ornelas, the Hispanic Outreach Coordination for the Delaware Chapter of the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI), will be organizing a grief awareness presentation planned for October 28, just days before the celebration of Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) on November 1. Ms. Ornelas hopes to help people cope with passings before the festivities begin.
“We’re doing this for anyone who needs help coping who wants to enjoy the celebration instead of being sad about death,” Ornelas said. “We’ve done this before, for La Red, but this is the first time we’ve done it at Delaware Tech.”
Ms. Ornelas is currently only presenting this event for the club, but has expressed enthusiasm for future collaborations.
“I'm looking forward to working with them, and Delaware Tech, in the future,” Ornelas said.
Another club at Delaware Tech, the Deaf Culture Club, has also shown interest in teaming up with the Hispanic Culture Club. Michael Hoffa, a member of the Hispanic Culture Club and Founding member of the Deaf Culture Club, wants the two clubs to form a working relationship in the coming months to promote several events, including a costume contest in October. Hoffa also has an interest in the club from his own perspective.
“I'm interested in the Hispanic Culture Club because I get to explore my culture and where I'm from,” Hoffa said. “We're not just one big group of people.”
For more information on upcoming events, questions about club activities, or to join the Hispanic Culture Club, contact Itzel Hernandez at ihernan3@dtcc.edu.