Heath Hutcheson, Campus Carrier staff writer

Sept.15 through Oct.15 is recognized as National Hispanic Heritage Month in the United States. It begins on Sept.15 because that date is the anniversary of independence for numerous Latin American countries such as Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Its purpose is to recognize and celebrate the history and culture of all Hispanic people.

According to National Archives, when it was first recognized in 1968, the tradition originally began as a week-long celebration under President Lyndon Johnson, but was later expanded by President Ronald Reagan to a month-long period in 1988. 

Berry’s own Orgullo has hosted a few events in celebration of the occasion, and their Senior Officer Representative, Nadhia Garcia spoke about a few of them.

“Recently, we had our open mic event and it was the first one that we’ve done,” Garcia said. “It was meant for people who might have poems from their favorite Hispanic artists or photography, to just be able to talk about what that means to them during the month.”

Other recent events by Orgullo have dealt with more traditional and cultural hands-on activities. One such event had students making alebrijes out of clay and paint

“We also had an event this past Wednesday where we made clay models of animals from Mexico where they help the dead guide them through the underworld into the spiritual life,” Garcia said.

They also plan to end the month with an exciting conclusion.

“Our next event is going to really just celebrate the end of [Hispanic Heritage Month],” Garcia said. “We’re going to have a big party and invite everybody across campus just to end the month on a high note.”

Garcia also shared what she believes the true core of the month is, and how Hispanic Heritage is important no matter the time of year.

“To me it’s about celebrating the culture that we’re from, but we also do it outside of just the month too, like around the holidays or other traditions that we have,” Garcia said. “It’s just very meaningful, especially if we don’t live where we’re from, so we like to express it and show our friends that this is what we’re about and we’re proud of where we’re from no matter where we’re living.”

In light of this event, a few professors spoke about some of the study abroad trips going to Hispanic countries happening this summer.

Julee Tate of World Languages and Cultures discussed both her trips to Cuba and Majorca, an island off of Spain. She and Hall, professor of Biology, are both teaching courses in Cuba.

“The two courses that we’re offering are both foundation courses and it’s cross disciplinary so one will count for a science foundation course and the other one LCS will count for in the humanities,” Tate said.

The Cuba trip will take place very early into the summer and head to multiple locations throughout the country, such as Havana, Trinidad, the Viñales Valley and the Varadero Peninsula

“The Saturday after graduation, we’ll all fly to Cuba and be there for two weeks,” Tate said, “We’ll spend about four or five days in Havana and then we’ll spread out from Havana and go out into the country.”

Later in the summer, Tate will be involved with another trip, this time to Majorca.

“I am co-leading the Majorca program with Dr. Matt Stannard in history. That trip will be for two weeks in July,” Tate said. “Essentially, he’ll be teaching world history, but through the example of Majorca, an island right off of Spain. It’s a beautiful island that is very rich in history.”

Associate Professor of Psychology, Susan Conradsen will be heading a trip to Guatemala this summer.

“We’re going to be based in Antigua, and there are going to be four credit hours. There is one three credit hour class which is called health and wellness,” Conradsen said. “It’s a special topics course within psychology, but it’s also an approved kinesiology elective, psych elective and women and gender studies elective. There is also a one hour credit course for international wellness, and it’s a foundations course.”

The three credit hour class will be focused on seeing what are the ways people can improve their physical and mental health in order to help them flourish. The one hour credit course will be taught by Victor Morales, where students will learn about habit formation and not only learn about theory, but also be able to apply that to themselves.

“We’re there for two weeks from May 30th until June 13th. We’re definitely going to be learning a lot about what life is like in Guatemala, then they’re going to be comparing some of that to what it’s like in the United states,” Conradsen said. “We want to go to things like local food markets and coffee fields to learn about the work life and general lived experience.”

Given how this trip is a new endeavor for Berry, Conradsen is particularly interested in seeing how it goes.

“This is a course that has been offered before at some other colleges, but it’s our first time having it here at Berry, so I’m excited,” Conradsen said.