LHA takes over Latino-Hispanic FAU student body
The Latino Hispanic Association began last semester and was created by seven FAU students with the purpose of building a family joined by similar cultures. It is a club with the main motive of making Latino-Hispanic students feel welcome and providing them with a sense of belonging.
However, the club has an interesting spin. It’s not only a place to make friends and have fun, but also an organization dedicated to community service and the well-being of its members as well as other Latino Hispanics across the country, and even those in need back in South America.
Some ways through which the organization is planning on doing this is through partnering with local hospitals for health promotion, organizing beach clean-ups, and offering Latino-Hispanic scholarships. They even plan on arranging a special Christmas event to send donations like food and other resources in need back to their home countries, said LHA’s VP of community service, Katy Guerra.
The club is also preparing to connect with other organizations within FAU like the Global Business Association and FAU’s Career Center. They hope to arrange an event aimed at teaching members about the professional work field.
“We want to help Latinos that are in college to get a job, many of them are first generation in college,” said Guerra.
The Latino Hispanic Association will partner with the College of Business for Hispanic Heritage Month to promote development and professional etiquette, provide career fairs, create a mock-up interview setting for members, and teach members, in general, all the factors they must keep in mind when applying to internships and jobs.
While the organization has a large variety of community service-oriented events, they still recognize the importance of building friendships within their club. LHA has other fun events such as dance nights, tailgates, and other activities that unite the students.
As the semester progresses, the club has countless activities planned, all with the help of the exponential growth that they’re seeing in the volume of members. Sylvana Mejia, the VP of social media and one of the organization’s founders spoke on the contrast that was the turnout they received versus the one they expected.
“We had 30 seats and 50 people came up, it was such a heartfelt moment because they all stayed there standing either way,” she said.
Mejia, along with Gabriela Rodriguez, another founder of the club, felt disbelief as more than 70 people are now attending their meetings and events.
“It started as a little idea in our apartments and now it’s here,” said Rodriguez.
LHA began with the purpose of establishing a more vibrant Latino community at FAU, which the founders felt was missing. As a result, the organization has served as a safe haven for those students struggling with adjusting to a new culture, and to those who don’t feel seen.
“There are a lot of international students and they don’t speak the most English, we are trying to focus a lot more on speaking Spanish and bringing them in,” said Katy Guerra.
The Latino Hispanic Association has the goal of making all new international and exchange students recognize their culture and find that understand where they come from with whom they can connect.
The organization has been working hard to promote its club, seeking out all the Latino and Hispanic students looking for a community. They’re actively tabling on the Breezeway, and their Instagram page is open to inquiry and interest. LHA hosts multiple events a week at times and plans to mainly meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with more information, including how to sign up and join their member WhatsApp group chat, on their official Owl Central page.
The club’s success is attributed to the efforts of its founders as well as the newly found feeling of friendship and unity within this FAU community that will grow outwards. It’s establishing security and recognition for those students who have felt unseen.
“We are all united for one purpose, the students themselves already feel united,” said founder and VP, Gabriela Rodriguez.
Isabella Visbal is a staff writer for the University Press. For questions about this story or others, contact Isabella at ivisbal2020@fau.edu.
Latest University Press
- FAU Football: Larry McCammon III, Jarron Morris declare for 2024 NFL DraftOn Sunday, senior running back Larry McCammon III and graduate defensive back Jarron Morris both declared for the 2024 NFL Draft. “Owl Nation, I cherish the memorable moments we’ve shared, and I extend my appreciation to the dedicated coaches, teammates, and especially the fans who’ve supported me along the way,” said McCammon on his Instagram...
- Men’s Basketball: Owls comeback to beat Charleston 90-74On Saturday, the Florida Atlantic Owls (7-1) men’s basketball team followed from their Thursday night 83-58 victory over Liberty University to defeat the College of Charleston (4-4) Cougars 90-74 in Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena during the final day of the Field of 68 Classic. “Shout out to the fans, the energy, the juice,” praised head...
- ‘Life safety concerns’: FAU to quietly open Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute after 4-month closureAfter a four-month closure caused by a building malfunction, the $35 million FAU Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute on FAU’s Jupiter campus will reopen Monday for classes. “While work will be ongoing on various aspects of building operations, I am pleased to report that the life safety concerns within the building have been permanently resolved,” an FAU...
- Women’s Volleyball: UT Arlington sweeps FAU in first round of NIVC TournamentThe Florida Atlantic Owls (20-13, 12-7 AAC) made their first-ever appearance in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) Tournament on Friday and were swept by the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) (21-10, 9-7 WAC) Mavericks at Memorial Gym in El Paso, Texas. The Owls were swept by the Mavericks and were eliminated. The first...
- FAU Football: Romain “Smoke” Mungin declares for 2024 NFL DraftOn Friday afternoon, senior cornerback Romain “Smoke” Mungin declared for the 2024 NFL Draft via his Instagram. In Mungin’s post, he thanked his friends, family, the university and coaches for supporting him through his five-year journey at FAU. “Y’all made this whole journey so much better with all the memories I have created, and I...
- Women’s Volleyball: Owls prepare for first NIVC appearance in program historyThe Florida Atlantic Owls women’s volleyball team (20-12, 12-7 AAC) will play in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) for the first time in program history on Friday at 7 p.m., after a historic season. The Owls’ 20 regular season wins are the most they’ve tallied since their 21 in 2018. The NIVC is one...