Semana de la Raza unites Latinos

Published: Monday, March 1, 1999

Monday, March 1, 1999

CELEBRATION: Students celebrate with families, explore career prospects

By Cathy Collins

Daily Bruin Contributor

Semana de la Raza, a weeklong effort by 16 student organizations to unite Latinos on campus, ended Saturday with the "Dia de la Familia" celebration.

Latino students and their families gathered in Perloff Quad for a barbeque, tours and dancing.

"We wanted this event to be a thank you to our parents," said Cristina Gonzalez, a fifth-year sociology, women's studies and Chicana/o studies student, and Raza Women officer.

The week, with the theme of "celebrating our cultures and educating without frontiers," sought to unite Latinos on campus through a variety of activities.

"The entire week was jam-packed with events," Gonzalez said. "We had some really good dialogues."

The sponsoring groups put on several workshops to discuss issues in the Latino community. Workshops focused on education in the Chicano community, the future of Latinos in healthcare, immigration issues, and Latina and Latino identity.

On Wednesday, several Latino student groups sponsored a college fair and career day in Ackerman Grand Ballroom. Event organizers estimated that 500 students attended the event.

The career fair showed the high demand for Latinos in many industries, according to Valeria Feijoo, a fourth-year international economics and international development studies student and Latino Business Student Association officer.

"We wanted to show students what opportunities are available after graduation," Feijoo said. "Many companies are targeting Latino and Chicano students, especially considering the makeup of L.A. today."

Andrew Alvarez, a fourth-year chemical engineering student, and Society of Latino Engineers and Scientists officer, agreed.

"I don't think a lot of Latinos are aware of the opportunities available to them," he said.

On Thursday, at the "Latino Media Night," Latinos working in the media talked to students about breaking into the field. A workshop entitled "Raza and the Media," discussed how Latinos are presented in movies. Participants talked about Latinos in films such as "Mi Familia," "Mi Vida Loca" and "Boulevard Nights."

The week began last Monday, with dancing and food in Westwood Plaza and Noche de Cultura, a night of poetry and performance art.

"Brown Images: A Series of Short Films" showed student films at the Melnitz theater on Tuesday. "Life, Lust, and Spirituality: A Night of Mujer Expression" featured poetry performances on Wednesday.

At "Dia de la Familia," parents were given tours of campus in Spanish, English and Portuguese, as well as information packets about requirements for admission to UCLA.

"It's for our younger brothers and sisters too," said Yesenia Alvarez, a fourth-year political science student and president of the Latin American Student Association.

The groups also gave tours to elementary, junior high and high school students throughout the week.

Feijoo said "Dia de la Familia" would give parents a better understanding of their children's experiences at UCLA.

"We want to show them how we've grown up here and how we're an important factor at UCLA," she said. "We want to show them what they've helped us accomplish."

The student groups are already thinking about plans for next year's week, Gonzalez said.

"This is the first year we've done this," she said. "We want to expand next year to graduate associations so we can continue the dialogue."

Alvarez and Feijoo said that Semana de la Raza was successful in creating unity among Latino students.

"The most important thing that this week has done is uniting Latinos so we can continue to support one another," Feijoo said.

"We know we can depend on each other," Alvarez added.

"There is a definite tie that has been established."

DANIELA DECCA

(Left to right) Juan Calderon, an international economics student, Brenda Moreno, a sociology student, and Lucero Pinedo (second from right), a psychology student, relax with family members during a weekend event for Semana de la Raza.

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