On Thursday, Sept. 15, the Elizabethtown College Office of Diversity, Equity and Belonging collaborated with the LatinX/Hispanic Student Union to kickstart the celebrations of Hispanic Heritage Month with a flag raising event. The flags of various South American countries were displayed in the Baugher Student Center the night before and will stay up for a month to honor Hispanic heritage.

“I think this event is really important because it spotlights the community that we have here at Etown,” junior international business major and one of the speakers at the event Emely Guevara said. “It puts on display the small community that comes and works together and is strong as a unit. We want to empower and strengthen the students from those backgrounds who come here to Etown and give them an event to show them that we do care and we do want you here at our Etown community.”

The event featured three speakers that talked about the significance of the day and the experiences of Hispanic students enrolling in colleges around the country. The first speaker was Etown President Betty Rider, who proclaimed the recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month at the College this month. “I want to encourage everyone in our community to fully participate as we celebrate this month with food, dance, film, service work and dialogue as well as with these beautiful flags,” Rider said. “I know that there is going to be something that will capture the attention of everyone during this month.”

LatinX/Hispanic Student Union President and junior communications major Sarah Moscoso followed Rider in giving remarks about the meaning behind celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month in the middle of the month as opposed to the start of it. She explained that many Southern American countries’ independence days fall in the middle of the month, and that is why the middle of the month was proclaimed as the start of these celebrations.

“To our Elizabethtown College Latinx/Hispanic students,” Moscoso said, “You are seen. You are heard. You are valued. You contribute great achievements to the Elizabethtown College community, and we are excited to see you continue to thrive. Happy Hispanic Heritage month!”

The third and final speaker was Guevara, who shared her own experiences being uncertain whether she would be able to afford going to college and how that is a question that many Hispanic children ask themselves everyday.

“Every once in a while, I would check prices, and I would ask myself how would I ever be able to afford that?” Guevara said. “I knew the only way that I was going to be able to go to college was by ensuring that I got amazing grades, so I was able to get a scholarship. Thankfully, I also had counselors that advised students on how to keep grades up for scholarships.”

“Most of us do not even have those counselors, or anyone to really guide us,” Guevara continued. “Many Hispanics and Latinos often drop out of high school, taking away their ability to go to college. A lot of the time, with no advice or guidance, we look at the price and decide that it is impossible for us to go to college.”

The event ended on an emotional but uplifting note. The struggles that many people in the Hispanic community go through in order to find a way into college are heartbreaking, but Guevara’s and many others’ stories give us hope that achieving one’s dreams is a possibility even in the face of such huge obstacles.

“I’m not Hispanic myself, but I have many friends who are Hispanic, so of course I want to support them,” junior psychology major and an attendee at the flag raising event China Tinnen said.

There are going to be many events available for everyone to attend during the Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations, including movie showings and taco nights. For more information about the upcoming events, visit: https://news.etown.edu/index.php/2022/09/09/elizabethtown-college-celebrates-national-hispanic-heritage-month-2/