A group of students chatting and enjoying Latin American and Spanish Culture at the Hispanic Student Mixer. PN Photo/Mykayla Brady.
By: Ester Sanchez, Web Editor
The Office of Student Inclusion and Diversity hosted their first Hispanic Student Mixer. The mixer was a place for the Hispanic student body to come together and make connections.
The mixer took place in the OSID suite office in Old Main. There were flags from many countries of Latin America and Spain.
They also had papel picado hanging from the walls. Papel Picado is a Mexican banner that is similar to paper snowflakes, they are very colorful.
Through conversations, Latin music filled up empty noise, with artists like Bad Bunny and Rauw Alejandro. It gave people the sentiment of being with family and friends at birthday parties.
The dining area featured a PowerPoint that showed information about several Latin American countries. It showed history and facts from several countries. There also was a whiteboard with quotes by famous Latin people.
One of the quotes on the whiteboard was from Sonia Sotomayor “the Latina in me is an ember that blazes forever.”
Sotomayor is the first Hispanic and woman of color to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States.
The mixer had many foods from different nationalities including food from Mexico, Cuba and other countries.
They had platanos maduros (ripe plantains), chicken tamales, rice with chicken and beans. For dessert, there were conchas, a typical Mexican bread and tres leches cake.
Drinks were a favorite for everyone. They had jamaica, which is made from hibiscus flower, horchata, watermelon and pineapple juice.
Abrio and Alex Rodriguez enjoyed the event very much. Abrio’s favorite food was the corn on the cob and horchata. Alex’s favorite was rice with chicken and watermelon juice.
“The atmosphere is very inviting and it’s nice to meet new people,” said Abrio.
Dr. Lawrence Lockelar and Angelica Hernandez from OSID planned the mixer.
“The mixer is meant to bring the Spanish-orientated community together and show students that by getting to know each other and getting involved, we can show pride and represent our community,” Hernandez said.
OSID is the support system for advancing equity and inclusion at UNCP. They support students for who they are as an individual. Students can go to them to pitch an idea for an event, pin accessory or a committee.
There were over 80 people that attended the event.
“Being that it’s the first mixer we hold, it’s honorable to see the support for the Hispanic community from everyone,” Hernandez said.
The next Hispanic event hosted by OSID is Mar. 22 at 3 p.m. at UC Annex.