Latin Street Fair adds to Hispanic Heritage Month celebration

By Grace Bonamico

Five Towns College celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month on September 25th with a Latin Street Fair on Sound Field.   Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15th – October 15th and “celebrates the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.”

The Latin Street Fair has tremendous support from the college administration.  “I think it’s important to the campus overall to show that we are a community of a diverse background at Five Towns College, and we also recognize that there’s a level of cultural awareness, and we respect it. Just like many other colleges, we respect that culture’s diversity,” said ​​Dr. Deseree Wiltshire, Assistant Dean of Student Support Services and Director of the Student Access Office.

Music blasted as attendees grabbed hot and delicious food while relaxing with friends. The most popular food served included yellow and white rice, beef, chicken, cheese empanadas, pernil (Puerto Rican pork shoulder), and maduros (sweet plantains). “Delicious. It’s homemade. It just really hits right,” said Music Education student David Chain. Business major Sabrina Bohn also found the food delicious, saying, “My favorite food was the pork, white rice, and beans. The food was fire.”

The Campus Life team of Michael Cavalli and Natalie Allouche puts together events like the Latin Street Fair. 181 students signed up to attend this year.  Cavalli, who is Assistant Dean of Campus Life, offered insight into how these events are produced:

“We have to do a lot of math, and that’s why Natalie and I are so adamant about keeping attendance at each of our events. It helps us to demonstrate how we’re using college resources. It shows us what events students love and what events do we tweak or change. We look for trends in everything, from topics and themes of events that students enjoy, times of day and times of week, and content that students enjoy.” 

The street fair continued as the women’s soccer game against Essex Community College began. Though the Sound lost a close battle with a final score of 4-3, the contest certainly added to the high energy of the day.

“We go all out in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, recognizing Latinx identities as a staple culture existing within the Five Towns College community and an opportunity to celebrate our women’s soccer team as well,” added Cavalli.