Showing off its legacy

Angelique Flores

Latino culture is hot. The popularity of salsa music, spicy foods and

such pop stars as musician Carlos Santana, actress and musician Jennifer

Lopez and slugger Sammy Sosa proves it.

Since 1988, Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 has been designated Latino

Heritage Month, which coincides with the Independence Days of several

Latin American countries. Golden West College celebrated Monday with its

own festival. The fiesta included a pinata for the college’s day-care

children, mariachi music, Mexican food, and a yell and dance contest.

By its wide participation, students and staff illustrated the campus’

diversity and the importance of recognizing Latino Heritage Month.

“I think it’s very important because it’s one of the ways of letting

the total campus population know that we’re here and that we have a

history too,” said Bruni Nunez-Cronk, a professor and coordinator of the

Intercultural Center.Mexico’s Independence Day is Saturday. Costa Rica,

El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua all will celebrate

Independence Day on Friday.

“This is an important month for Latin America,” Nunez-Cronk said.

Latinos “have a similar history, and we fought the same way as Americans.

Learning about it will broaden horizons.”

Students seem to agree.

The rise in Latino population and popularity has been mirrored by a

rise in interest in Chicano studies, which returned to the Huntington

Beach campus after a two-year hiatus.

“It says to me that we’re getting more of a serious Hispanic student

and that we have many Anglo students that are interested in knowing about

the people they go to school with and live next door to,” Nunez-Cronk

said. “This is a good combination.”

More than 30 students are enrolled in the school’s Mexican American

history class.

“We want Latino students to be successful in life, and we try to think

of what we can do for the students to keep them here,” said Aida

Villegas, student and clerk at the college’s Intercultural Center.

Golden West is planning another event with its sister college,

Coastline Community, at Coastline’s Huntington Beach-Westminster campus

for later this month.