Margaret Contreras
LV Life Editor
The Noche Latina was in full swing Sept. 27 on the Citrus Lawn.
The Campus Activities Board held the event in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 5 to Oct. 15.
Music played by the live band playing banda music, Conjunto Caspian, could be heard throughout campus. Noche Latina event coordinator and sophomore business major Emily Melkonyan brought the first banda ever to a CAB event.
“I am the music coordinator for CAB and we never had a banda play at an event,” Melkonyan said. “I saw the opportunity to bring one on campus for everyone to enjoy.”
Once the students checked in at the designated table, they were given a colored wristband. The bands allowed them to order food. Tacos and aguas frescas were provided by the Los Angeles catering company Ask 4 Tacos. The line of students wrapped around the pillars between the Citrus Hall and the dining hall.
Sophomore psychology major Carolina Lopez was impressed with the number of events honoring Hispanic Heritage Month this year in comparison to past years.
“Last year, I remember them having only one event and it was only for the Dia De Los Muertos,” Lopez said. “It’s great they have these other events to celebrate.”
The Conjunto Caspian was a full five member band playing Spanish music with stage lights changing to multiple colors.
PBG Entertainment provided a photo booth for attendees to take photos.
The photo booth had props for the attendees to hold while they took their photos. The booth itself was inflated and enclosed for privacy.
“The events that they have been doing this year feel more diverse,” sophomore psychology major Irene Aguilar, said. “We got to see more Hispanic and Latin cultures represented in these events. Like at one of the events there were Salvadoran pupusas and Argentinian empanadas.”
There was also a table for the Homecoming Court. This gave opportunity to the attendees to vote for the nominees by scanning a QR code. They had a picture of the nominees and a small biography about them on the table to help put faces to their names.
Round tables with seven chairs were set up on the lawn to allow students to eat and enjoy the live music. There was a space provided between the tables and the band to give attendees an opportunity to dance. People would come and go from the event. Around 150 students were at the event.
Throughout the crowd, you can see attendees enjoying themselves by dancing while they waited in line for their tacos. People were even singing along to songs that they were playing.
“We just keep getting better and better each year,” Melkonyan. “People seem to enjoy it even if you are not Hispanic, like myself I am actually Armenian.”
This year with the multiple events the campus is doing to honor Hispanic Heritage Month, students hope other heritages will be represented in the near future.
“For Asian American And Pacific Islander Heritage Month, I only remember them doing Lunar New Year,” sophomore psychology major Ashlee Lam said. “I hope they continue to do more and not just for Hispanic Heritage Month.”
Margaret Contreras can be reached at margaret.contreras@laverne.edu.
Magaret Contreras is a senior communications major with a concentration in public relations. She is editorial director and LV Life editor of the Campus Times and previously worked as editor-in-chief and a staff writer.
Chris Rodriguez is a senior photography major and photo editor of the Campus Times.
