“We wanted to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, but nobody would be here,” says special education and elementary education double major Tania Jaramillo. “So we are going to celebrate pre-Cinco de Mayo.”
Join the Latino Student Union for its April Festival on Thursday, April 21 at 5 p.m. on the Mariposa Lawn. The event features activities and entertainment for families, including music, dancers, face painting, an Easter Egg Hunt and more.
A variety of Mexican food is available for sale, including Chipotle. All proceeds will benefit the Esperanza Scholarship Fund – a new scholarship for GCU students coordinated by the Latino Student Union.
The Latino Student Union formed unofficially last summer by two sophomores – Selene Olivas and Daisy Ricardo – and became an official campus club in February. The mission of the club is to give students an opportunity to meet and discuss cultural issues, but also to engage in leadership opportunities.
“Our motto is ‘empowerment, leadership, scholarship’,” says sophomore Viri Hernandez. “The club is open to all students, not just Latino students, as a way to empower and support each other through college.”
The club has quickly pooled its resources as each of the currently 20 members offers unique talents and has helped pull together the many performers and activities available for the April 21 festival.
“We all have a background of being involved in the community,” says Hernandez. “We work hard to be approachable and also having the initiative to talk to people and invite them to be involved in our events.”
The Esperanza Scholarship application will be essay-based with a focus on leadership and a student’s ambition to continue education. It will be open to all current and incoming GCU students.
“I wasn’t expected to go to college,” says Hernandez. “And college has been so much harder than my high school education. We want the club to offer the tools for students to succeed in school and also be active in the community.”
The club members want it known – all students can join. The Latino Student Union has unique plans to grow the club and serve the University.
“We are still in the early stages of development,” says sophomore Samara Carlon. “We know this will be a club to be reckoned with.”
Contact Zane Ewton at [email protected].
