A person’s cultural background is a large part of their identity. Through customs, traditions, and beliefs they share knowledge that is passed down from generation to generation. Holy Cross College celebrates the Hispanic and Latino students through the Latinos Unidos cultural enrichment club. The group invites all students to get educated on traditions and issues ongoing in our society.

“As stated in our Constitution, the goal of Latinos Unidos is, ‘to unite all members with the community through increasing knowledge of the Hispanic culture, giving back to the community, and maintaining awareness as well as respect for all other cultures.’ Another major goal is we want to be the voice for all of our Latino and Hispanic students on campus, we want to help develop leadership not only in our club but on campus, and lastly, we want to push and promote diversity on campus,” said Latinos Unidos president Florecita Del R. Avalos ’22.

According to Avalos, although the name of the club is Latinos Unidos, it is not exclusively for the Latinos and Hispanics on campus. It is open to all, traditional students, gateways, on-campus students, and off-campus students of all ethnicities and nationalities. Ways to get involved include simply coming to an event with friends or becoming an official club member.

Campus activities

“Nayeli Natalia Belmares ’23 (Latinos Unidos vice president) and I are very excited about planning activities not only that are fun, but also some that bring awareness to campus. With September being Hispanic Heritage Month, we want to incorporate Hispanic culture and what this month means to the students of color on campus,” notes Avalos. “In November, we will continue to do our annual ‘Ofrenda’ for the Day of the Dead to commemorate our loved ones that have passed away. This year we are very lucky to be here until December, which means that we will be able to return to our tradition of ‘Las Posadas’ where we walk around campus and imitate Mary and Joseph as she was about to give birth to baby Jesus. These are just some of the main events we have planned, and we can’t wait to plan more.”

Group goals

“Holy Cross has given us the opportunity to make connections and relationships not only with students but also with faculty and staff. We hope that the Holy Cross community will become even more united and aware of the issues that the Hispanic/Latino community experience. We want the community to have fun and be able to immerse themselves into our culture and what it means to us to be a part of such a great community,” said Avalos.

Latinos Unidos class of 2021 graduates

Pictured are graduates of the class of 2021. They are the first group of graduates to have an official Latinos Unidos stole.

The Ofrenda celebration from November 2020 for the Day of the Dead.

Pictures provided by Latinos Unidos president Florecita Del R. Avalos ’22.