Mount Saint Mary College's Latino Student Union (LSU) recently hosted a celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month featuring Latin American food, music, and culture.
The celebration attracted more than 60 students and Mount administrators. Newburgh businesses Noches De Colombia and Los Amigos sponsored food for the event.
"Hispanic Heritage Month is the time where we celebrate, share, and be proud of where we came from," noted LSU president Victoria Veloz-Vicioso of Englewood, N.J., "and acknowledging the achievements and contributions Hispanic Americans have made that shaped our society today."
The LSU student club is an inclusive organization built on Latin American heritage. It's open to all Mount students. The club currently consists of approximately 45 members.
"Our club is dedicated to creating a family through cultural diversity," said Veloz-Vicioso. "Our purpose is to bring some type of familiarity to...college life and be a home away from home."
Veloz-Vicioso says that LSU helped her to acclimate herself to college when she -- now a junior -- began her Mount career.
"As a freshman, Latino Student Union 100 percent impacted my college experience," she said, adding that the club "helped me grow, not only as a student but as a Dominican-American. I was given the chance to reconnect with my culture and embrace my heritage. Since then, I've been dreaming of the day that I would be able to give back what they gave to me."
That day came this semester, when Veloz-Vicioso took over as the president of the student-run organization.
"As president of the Latino Student Union, I am making it my mission to do everything I can to represent my community," she said. "I want us to be the most active and influential club this year. I am working towards gaining more awareness about the Latino culture on campus," and additionally, "recruiting more Latin American students to our club and college."