Reflective Essay: Latino At Emory

Recently, I attended the grand opening Centro Latino at Emory. It was sponsored by the Latino Student Organization, in collaboration with the Alumni Association and SOL of Multicultural Emory. This event was certainly one of celebration as it marked a moment in history for Emory by having a special space Hispanic, Latin American and Latinx students on campus. Centro Latino, which is located on the second floor of the Dobbs University Center, West Wing, was festively decorated with flags of the countries that encompass the Latino community. The event’s program was led by a college senior, Bryan Natividad. It began with an introduction to Centro Latino by Dr. Suzanne Onorato, followed by an introduction of the Centro Latino advisory board and a ribbon cutting by staff, students and board members. The Centro Latino Advisory board is comprised of a group of students who were greatly …show more content…
It was very apparent that this space was a long time in the making and that students, like my resident Camila Donoso, have worked hard to see it come to fruition. The event also allowed us to recognize the Latino community in this moment and celebrate the contributions its students’ have made to the Emory community. I believe that this event helped build community for the Hispanic, Latin American and Latinx student population by recognizing and appreciating these students in a special way. As well as, identifying and celebrating the existence of a special space on campus that they could call their own. The Latino community is already a strong community of students on Emory’s campus. With Centro Latino, they now have a space on campus dedicated to enhancing and supporting their community. This will help strengthen their community further and allow them to share their culture more easily with the rest of the Emory