Celebrating Latin American culture
Music poured out of the DeMoss Grand Lobby as students gathered to get a taste of Latin American culture.
As Liberty University’s Global Focus Week came to a close, on Oct. 6, the International Student Center hosted Hispanic Heritage Month Kick-Off for students to be immersed in the food, music and history of other cultures. Melissa Harris, the LU ONE communications and branding director, said this event was unlike any other available to students on campus.
“What’s wonderful about this event is there will be an opportunity for students to hear about the history, traditions and values of other countries and cultures,” Harris said. “Events like this help to open our minds to different cultures and what makes them unique and special.”
Because Liberty houses international students on campus, the importance of sharing their own cultures with the other students is a must. For sophomore Jasmine Henry, events like these can connect students together.
“Being a minority on campus, it can kind of feel like you’re just a fish out of water,” Henry said. “And (by) having these events, you can kind of get to know people who have similar experiences as you.”
The event showcased authentic Latin American food and beverages, while in the background, songs were sung in Spanish, Portuguese and English. Food is a central connecting point back to home for students like sophomore Alejandra Zaiter.
“I feel like food and drinks are things that bring Latin American culture together,” Zaiter said. “Liberty has a good amount of Latin American students, and giving us the space to just have a bit of our own culture here is so beautiful.”
As many students filed in to attend the open house, sophomore Dazejah Claiborne realized everyone’s relationship in Christ.
“It’s important to branch outside of ourselves and get to know … other people’s (cultures) to be connected as siblings in Christ,” Claiborne said. “God says in the end that every tongue and every tribe — everyone will confess his name.”
The beauty of this event not only connects students to Latin American culture, but it also provides students like David Mendes with a little slice of home.
“I am from a big city in Brazil called Rio De Janeiro,” Mendes said. “I feel like it’s so easy as international students for us to come to a university like Liberty where we feel homesick in a way, but this is just a time where I can just be who I am.”
The event provided a place for students to be themselves while embracing the American culture. It encouraged the appreciation and embracement of other cultures while still encouraging students to continue appreciating their own.
Although Global Focus Week allows the campus to shed light on different cultures, for many, it is a reminder of the God who is over all nations.
“It’s important to have a time where we can all come together as one body but with different cultures, because at the end of the day, we all serve a global God,” Mendes said.
Teel is a news reporter for the Liberty Champion