By Karina Perez, Sept. 24, 2024
Cal Poly Pomona celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month by exhibiting the cultural connection to the holiday of its students, staff, and faculty who take pride in their culture and achievements.
Between Sept. 15 and Oct. 15, CPP student clubs and organizations such as Alpha Delta Chapter, Zapateando Del Corazon, César E. Chávez Center for Higher Education and Mexican American Student Association, have been organizing the events to celebrate their Chicano/Latino culture.
Alpha Delta Chapter is the first and fastest growing Latino fraternity at Cal Poly Pomona. The Chapter hosted its first informational gathering Sept. 19 in honor of the holiday to discuss values, scholarship opportunities and Lambda Theta Phi history.
Treasurer Alfred Hernandez Jr. said the fraternity has helped him better connect with his culture and some traditions he shares with family and friends.
“My fraternity has shaped my identity as a Latino because not only do I get to learn more about my own culture, I get to learn more about all other Latin cultures and traditions,” said Hernandez. “It has also helped me find my support system and build community amongst Latino men who are striving for excellence.”
Hernandez said he continues the family legacy – his father was a member and brother of Alpha Delta Chapter, and his mother was a founding sister of Gamma Upsilon Chapter. He said that their contribution to Greek life impacted his choice to not only join a fraternity, but to be a part of an organization that embraces and supports his Hispanic identity.
“More often it’s [Greek life] tied to being privileged,” said Hernandez. “In my situation within my organization, it’s about continuing my parents’ tradition of creating cultural pride, resilience and uplifting future generations to come.”
Staff and faculty play a significant role in promoting and celebrating Chicano and Latino culture. Dance instructor Marilyn Leiva for Zapateando Del Corazon said that her position allowed her to be in touch with the Latino/Hispanic community on campus.
“When I’m teaching Folklorico, it’s telling them the stories of the steps, the meaning of the songs and it’s just such a beautiful experience to share that with students,” said Leiva.
Leiva danced for 17 years of her life. Outside of CPP, she teaches dance for a Folklorico group called Ballet Folklorico Mexico Azteca.
Folklorico is a traditional Mexican dance that combines elements of ballet and regional folklore. The dancers’ attire consists of traditional silk or cotton dresses with ribbons and colorful stripes and materials. Leiva said that critical to her culture is importance of the family.
“It [Folklorico] is an investment and so they’ve helped me financially, sponsoring my dresses, my shoes, anything they can do to help me they have done, and I love my family for that,” said Leiva.
A former resident advisor Martha Palafox was accepted to CPP in 2021 where the pandemic was barely past its peak. Growing up in Los Angeles gave her the opportunity to be with people within her community, but she experienced a cultural reset when attending CPP. She said that at first started as a commuter, but ultimately made the decision to live on campus.
“My family didn’t want me to dorm at first, but since I live in Los Angeles, it was more of a necessity than anything,” said Palafox.
Palafox shared that being a part of a traditional Mexican household kept her always on her toes to seek every opportunity she could find on campus. When she first applied to be an RA, she got rejected. This allowed her to attend a conference in Chicago to give her the experience she felt could use to get the RA position.
“I worked with Thrive Scholars to help students transition from high school to these prestigious universities from Yale, brown and Harvard,” said Palafox. “I was a little discouraged because what was a girl from Cal Poly [Pomona] going to teach them?”
As a student, she experienced a cultural disconnect with her peers because everyone seemed to have their own set of goals and aspirations. This made Palafox question whether she belonged at the university.
“Everyone was there to learn and not talk, so it was hard to find someone who looked like me and talked like me,” said Palafox.
After becoming a resident advisor, she became heavily involved with campus life and she allowed her experiences and culture to shape her into the leader she is.
Even though “Hispanic” usually refers to a linguistic heritage, Hispanic Heritage Month is dedicated to celebrating and indulging in the culture and contributions of both the Hispanic and Latino community.
CPP hosts “Cafe Con CECCHE,” which serves as a time for the organization to discuss the month’s importance and to announce the upcoming events such as “CECCHE Pre Med-Mentorship” Sept. 27 and “Alumni Mixer” Oct. 15 along with many other events to come.
Feature image courtesy of Alpha Delta Chapter Fraternity at Cal Poly Pomona