PUEBLO — Hispanic Heritage Month kicked off on Thursday and the day also marks day four of Hispanic Serving Institutions Week. CSU Pueblo was designated a hispanic serving institution back in 2007 and the campus has been celebrating Chicano studies for 51 years.
To be designated a hispanic serving institution, a college must have at least 25% full-time students that are hispanic. At CSU Pueblo, around 34% of students have a hispanic background.
Therefore, all week and all month long, the campus is celebrating hispanic culture and diversity. There are demonstrations, keynote speakers and performances highlighting hispanic heritage month. Outside of the festivities, one of the key messages during HSI week, is that it's also about making sure hispanic students do not have barriers when it comes to pursuing a college degree.
For many, this month also feels like a sense of belonging.
“It’s really important to me mostly because these events that are held here on campus make me feel welcomed and feel part of a community,” said Alondra Solis, a sophomore on campus.
Solis says students come together to celebrate their pride and culture but also to educate other students who don't have a similar background.
“It’s really amazing because you’re getting to be with people who want to learn more about your culture and your heritage, it brings out like this warm feeling that I’m welcomed here, and that there’s a future for me here as well,” said Solis.
Tom Mottet, the president at CSU Pueblo has worked as hispanic serving institutions his entire career. He said HSI’s are a great choice of school for students with a hispanic background.
“When you’re on campus, it is a feeling of recognizing people who look like you, who understand you,” said Mottet. “It’s a faculty and staff who understand this population. It’s a faculty and staff who are committed to removing the obstacles for these students and allowing them a pathway to get a degree.”
Dr. Victoria Obregon is a professor on campus who identifies as chicana. She says many of her students share a similar background with her, so she reminds them that it's important to honor their culture and share their stories.
“As an educator, I know how important is to tell you tell our stories, and to hear our stories, to keep our tradition alive,” said Dr. Obregon. “I always say my students are the next to tell their story, and to tell their traditions, and share their traditions to our community.”
And while it’s a tradition of being close with family, others say CSU Pueblo is a home away from home.
“Celebrating my culture, I just think of my grandma because our grandparents were the reason we have all this culture here. They passed on all these traditions, all the heritage,” said Jose Chavez, who identifies at LatinX. “Just being able to celebrate that, it just warms my heart because it reminds them (people) of their family or their abuelitas too.”
One of the demonstrations this week was nicho making. It’s a shadow box that honors and remembers a person who has passed away. During hispanic heritage month, students can also learn how to make a pinata and play loteria, which is Mexican bingo.
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