Latinos Unidos organized a Farm Fiesta featuring games, music, dancing and homemade empanadas at the Eckerd College Community Farm in September. Photo by Ashlyn Porter ’28
The student organization on the Eckerd College campus known as Latinos Unidos is celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month with a number of events. Each activity hosted by the club is open to all students.
“The purpose of this club is to build a community on campus,” says Heaven Juarez, a senior literature student from Brick, New Jersey, and president of Latinos Unidos. “We want to bridge [our Hispanic] community with Eckerd. We don’t want to be exclusive. We want to share our culture, educate people and just let people have fun with it.”
The club has been taking full advantage of National Hispanic Heritage Month, which spans from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15—hosting multiple events featuring music, film and authentic cuisine, including catering from a local Latin restaurant.
One such event, the Farm Fiesta, offered activities like cornhole and dancing to Latin music and provided a relaxing place to take one’s friends. Notably, the fiesta was topped off with homemade empanadas and side dishes catered by the campus dining service, Bon Appétit.
The events attract dozens of students to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month.
A few days later, they hosted a screening of In the Heights, the movie adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first musical, with strong representation of the Latino community. Drinks and food were provided for attendees. The menu included salad, avocado slices and lime wedges, passion fruit juice, black beans, rice, rotisserie chicken and ripe plantains.
“We [also] have a tote-bag-decorating event and karaoke going on, so people can sing Latin songs,” Heaven adds.
As the new president, she is excited to throw larger events. In the spring, the club plans to hold a flea market and invite a mariachi band to perform. Above all else, she hopes to foster a welcoming environment for all students.
“I really want to emphasize that everyone can go to our events,” Heaven explains. “You don’t have to be of Latino descent. We want people to come together.”
