Leetinos celebrates diversity in culture
Leetinos is a cultural awareness club celebrating diversity, culture and heritage. The club’s goal is to spread awareness and pride by celebrating differences. The club consists of students with various backgrounds and heritages who unite together through their shared love and respect for Latino culture.
Angelica Alvarado, the current president of Leetinos, explained how the club is attempting to reach the student body throughout the semester.
“I’m definitely looking forward to this semester because we want to encourage more education on the diversity within the Latino culture,” Alvarado said. “We’re not just Mexican, you know? In the club alone there are Mexican, Salvadoran, Puerto Rican, Honduran, Chilean [people] — we’re not just one color, we’re a variety.”
Leetinos is part of the Diversity Council, which offers opportunities for students to be involved in promoting culture on campus.
Members of Leetinos are currently celebrating Hispanic Heritage month, which spans from September through mid-October. The meetings during this month include presentations on Hispanic countries. Members are encouraged to share their background and heritage with the group, often offering homemade food that represents their country.
“I think it’s really good for us [to learn about other countries,] but also for students in the Spanish department. A lot of professors have their students come by the meetings.” Alvarado said.
Dr. Jose Minay, an associate professor of Spanish, often invites his students to attend the Leetinos meetings to learn and observe.
“I learn a lot. It’s interesting that although we all speak Spanish, we all have our own cultures. We come from such different areas and regions,” Minay said.
During their weekly meetings, the Leetinos spend time creating a relaxing and welcoming atmosphere, full of fun and laughter.
“We’re always picking on someone,” said sophomore Spanish and history major, Manny Sanchez. “It’s just our culture, ya know? It’s always love and laughter with us.”
While the Leetinos enjoy their lighthearted gatherings, they also have a deep respect and desire to talk about more serious topics.
“We try to incorporate a lot of education into our hangouts,” said Alvarado. “Whether it’s talking about something as serious as immigration, or DACA [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals] students — we have some here at school — we just want to bring enlightenment to everyone.”
The Leetinos have a noticeable and distinguished passion for their distinct cultures and strive to share this passion throughout campus.
“We want to portray [our culture] not just within our club, but on campus,” Alvarado said. “You see us, but you only care for what you think you see — not what you really know. And that’s what we can do for you. We can tell you who we really are individually, definitely, but also collectively as a group.”
The Leetinos also emphasize they are eager to share their culture. Alvarado explains she is passionate about what she wants to portray to the campus as a whole, but also notes that she thoroughly enjoys taking a step back and listening to what others say.
“We all have something that we want to say. I listen to every single one of [the students in the club],” Alvarado said. “I want to portray their voice on this campus as well. We all just want to portray our diversity. Sometimes we achieve that stereotype that is put upon us, like Latinos being late … but we do it with pride. We just want to be prideful of our culture, always,” Alvarado said.
The Leetinos meet weekly on Mondays at 6 p.m. More information can be found on their Instagram, @leetinos_leeu.
