Latinx Heritage Month

I always dreamed of being super involved on campus, socializing with people who reflected my vibe and shared my desires. I dreamed of walking through the halls of my school and recognizing the faces of fellow club members and being able to comfortably greet them and ask how their day has been.

Recognizing the faces of my classmates is not new to me. I come from a small high school where my graduating class was 35. My former high school is not just a secondary school, but a middle school as well, so I was with these classmates for 7 years. Being able to recognize the faces and names of my classmates was an experience that I treasured. We were able to grow up together and see each other off to better things.

Because of this sheltered socialization for 7 years I worried for my college experience. I worried that I no longer knew how to make friends. I worried that I had become socially awkward through out the years. With worries, comes desires and dreams and mine was that my worries would be wrong.

On September 7th, 2017 I went to my first college student club event. I walked through the crowded second floor and tried to locate eyes with a club I can identify with. A couple of steps before me stood ASEDOM, where they were giving out Mamita’s Coconut Cream Ices. My mouth watered. I took an Icy and soon found myself in a conversation with ASEDOM’s vice president. As the conversation progressed I asked, “What is ASEDOM’s purpose in Latinx Heritage Month?” She said

“ASEDOM’s role in all of Latin Heritage Month is just to put in a Dominican representation into the expression of Hispanic culture that we’re trying to show. We just want to show pride in both our cultural and academic backgrounds.”

-Katherine Hernandez, Sophomore, VP of ASEDOM

What the VP said impacted the expectations I had for my college experience. I realized it didn’t matter the amount of friends I had or how active I was it; the only thing thing that mattered is that within this experience I find myself and not just learn to express my self as an American student, but as the Afro-Latina I am.

Latinx Heritage Month Mocktails & Paint

On Tuesday September 12th I attended the Latinx Heritage Month Mock Tails&Paint event with Alex . Upon arriving and signing in we were served an assortment of snacks like churros and flan which was followed by featured guest speaker Miguel Trelles. Mr. Trelles briefly spoke about the indigenous people of Panama known as the Kuna and their traditional art form known as mola. Mola which originated with women painting their bodies with colorful geometric designs soon began to be placed on cloths and clothing to be sold to Panamas European settlers. Following the information section we were then able to observe various examples of molas and eventually attempt to design and paint our own versions of a mola on cloth.I’m not the most artistic or neat person so I cant say that mine came out looking too amazing but the overall experience was very fun.

Absolute Adrenaline GIM

My Bucket List As A Club!

When I was first admitted into Baruch College, one of the first things I did was look into the clubs that were offered. Absolutle Adrenaline was one of the first to catch my eye. Going to the general interest meeting allowed me to confirm one thing: this is definitely a club for me. Not only do they sponsor some things on my bucket list but they promote healthy living and the development of great friendships. Even at the beginning of the meeting, I felt comfortable; the ice breakers certainly helped to release any feelings of an outsider. You don’t have to be the fittest or the most adventurous, all you need is the desire to have fun, make friends and stay healthy. I hope to be able to go to as many events as I can this while I am at Baruch.