Loyola’s student body is made up of people from all over Latin America, and many students have celebrated their heritage during Hispanic Heritage Month, which is Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.

According to Carolina Pirez, a public relations sophomore, Hispanic Heritage Month is one of the most important months for her. As a young girl, she moved to Miami from Cuba. Hispanic Heritage Month helps her celebrate and appreciate her roots.

“Hispanics contribute a lot to the economy, history, politics, medicine, and social aspects in the United States, so I feel like celebrating those people is very important. It feels great having a Latinx student body because it makes me have people I can identify with,” Pirez said.

According to Kedrick Perry, each college has hosted their own activities for the month, in addition to events from student life and ministry.

One activity that people are excited for is the “La mejor Venezuela” exhibit at the New Orleans Jazz Museum, on Tuesday, Oct. 19. The exhibition will highlight Venezuelan street photography accompanied by a mixer and jazz performances by students in the Loyola music program.

Sebastian Yibrin, a junior majoring in finance from Puerto Rico said his favorite part of Latine culture is the cuisine.

“I spend months over here in the states, and it makes me miss the food back home. Puerto Rican food brings so much warmth and richness that I couldn’t live without. Imagine never tasting mofongo,” Yibrin said.

Yibrin added that he is glad the month exists because since Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, he argued his culture is often overlooked.

“What I really find important about this month is that it is a time to recognize and celebrate the many contributions (and) diverse cultures,” Yibrin said.

In terms of outreach from the school to Hispanic communities, Yibrin said he would love to see more Latine representation in clubs and organizations.

“Creating a community where we feel included would make each and every one of us feel like we belong,” Yibrin said.