Each year, from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, people across the world celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. The month is dedicated to celebrating the diverse culture of Hispanic people and to recognizing the contributions they have made, and for individuals to take pride in their Latinx identities.
“As a Spanish teacher, I prioritize culture all the time and celebrate Hispanic culture all year long in my classes. I work really hard to incorporate inspiring stories and people who have achieved great things in our culture and history every month of the year,” Profe. Jedi Rueda Dudurich, the new faculty advisor for Mi Gente, said. “It’s definitely an opportunity to share that sentiment with the larger community, and to feel pride, to embrace the big umbrella of the Latinx diversity.”
At GA, students and teachers have been working to give Hispanic Heritage Month and its people recognition and celebration. Specifically, Mi Gente, GA’s affinity space for Hispanic students, has been planning ways to celebrate, including event planning by senior leaders Zachary Zighelboim ‘26 and Edie Leon ‘26 with the guidance of Profe. Jedi.
“We are asking every Latinx individual in our community to take a 30-second to a minute-long video showing something about Latin culture that they like,” Leon said. “It could be anything from interviewing a family member who is Latino, highlighting a specific aspect of Latin culture that they love, like the food.”
This video has helped highlight who the Latinx community is at GA because it often feels as if not many students know what Mi Gente is or who the people or classmates around them are that identify with it.
“We’re hoping that in doing this, not only can the video be engaging, but also show the GA community who here is Latino. And what does it mean to be Latino? A lot of times you hear the word, but you don’t really know how to put a face or culture and traditions to it,” Leon said.
Mi Gente also hosted a break party in the Roberts Family Library (RFL) on Oct. 17 to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. The celebration featured a wide range of activities, like music, dancing and snacks.
“We’re hoping to incorporate a little bit of salsa into the dance. Alongside dancing, we’re also hoping to have more moments with food.” Leon said. “It’s a really great way to celebrate, have fun, relax, let loose. It’s obviously something that gets a lot of people to come, which helps spread the cultural awareness.”
In addition to exposing the GA community to their respective cultures, affinity spaces like Mi Gente offer a sense of belonging and support, fostering community bonds for Latinx students.
“Mi Gente is a space where individuals can go to discuss their feelings or emotions, or to process anything they might be going through,” Leon said. “Their voices are welcomed, and their perspectives and opinions matter. [Mi Gente] helps promote cultural pride by helping many students be proud of their heritage.”
GA has been working with many affinity groups, like Mi Gente, to not only promote cultural pride and foster connections between individuals who share similar identities, but also to help the general community celebrate their diverse cultures.
“I can say that this year, since being a faculty leader of an affinity group, I see how the school is prioritizing the work within the affinity groups,” Profe. Jedi said. “I have gone to a few meetings at the Office of Diversity and Inclusion where we gather together with all the affinity groups and reinforce the idea of supporting each other and our efforts throughout the year. There’s a lot of work that goes behind the scenes, and I’m proud to be a part of the team.”
While Hispanic culture and heritage are celebrated during the one-month period, both leaders and members alike hope that celebrating Hispanic and Latin cultures will become more of a year-round affair.
“Latin culture doesn’t just pop up for one month and disappear. It’s always here, it’s always happening, it’s always changing, and there are always new things that need to be highlighted and addressed and discussed and celebrated,” Leon said. “It’s always going to be prevalent within America, within our community and definitely for me.”
Throughout Hispanic Heritage Month, those with Latinx identities celebrate and take pride in their culture and contributions. At GA, Mi Gente is leading the celebrations with planned events to share and spread Hispanic and Latin culture with the community.