The Fresno State Latina/o Faculty and Staff Association (LFSA) kicked off its annual “La Bienvenida” event on Sept. 21 at the Memorial Gardens.
Latin American flags circled the garden, serving as a hub for Hispanic cultures shared among faculty, staff and students.
The event was La Bienvenida’s ninth annual celebration, which began when students wanted to see more acknowledgment for Hispanic culture, according to Estevan Parra Guerrero, president of the LFSA.
He said the location of the event was initially supposed to be the Peace Garden.
“Due to construction, we had to move to the front of Memorial Gardens, but I have to say that there was a lot of great feedback in regards to the location,” Parra Guerrero said.
He said over 400 attendees visited the event, nearly doubling the number from 2021.
Music and dance performances were also welcomed during the event.
The Fresno State Mariachi Group performed along with Los Danzantes de Aztlà n and Fresno State’s folklórico group.
One member of Los Danzantes de Aztlà n is Isabel Cervantes, a fourth-year pre-nursing student.
“It makes me really proud to be able to represent my family and my culture. It’s just so much fun doing [folklórico],” Cervantes said.
Over 33 tables from Fresno State clubs and organizations were featured in the event, according to Parra Guerrero.
The Chicanx Writers and Artists Association was one of the Fresno State clubs present. Members of the club have established a goal to publish and represent Latino/a student voices through a creative outlet.
Ashley Rivera Garcia, president of the club, said that students who were intrigued by the La Bienvenida event would find more diversity and culture within it.
“This [club] is open to offer Fresno State students [a chance] to showcase all of the diverse voices within our campus. I think it’s a really good way to have students’ voices heard,” Garcia said. “I really enjoy all the representation here [at the event].”
Marco Rodriguez Garcia, treasurer of Lambda Theta Pi fraternity, also appreciated the cultural representation presented on campus.
“It’s actually really nice. I don’t see a lot of [representation] on campus so it’s really nice to see that. I think they could do a little bit more of these [events] because sometimes campus can seem really empty,” Garcia said.
Keynote speaker Martina Granados, director of Outreach and Special Programs, shared the importance of Hispanic culture and emphasized how Fresno State serves as a safe space for students of all cultures, including Latino/a students.
Although the event was a way for incoming students to experience Hispanic culture on campus, it also brought a feeling of nostalgia to others.
“That’s one of the things that [LSFA] loves about La Bienvenida. When we host this event, we want to know what the people want, but also want what was missing when we were students. We ask, ‘How do we combine that to pay it forward and have a successful and memorable Bienvenida?’” Parra Guerrero said.
Fresno State will continue to host events for Hispanic Heritage Month during the remainder of September and the beginning of October.
The next scheduled event is “Queering Mariachi,” a virtual event on Oct. 6 presented by the Cross-Cultural and Gender Center (CCGC) featuring two members of the first all-LGBTQ+ mariachi group in the world, Mariachi Arcoiris de Los Ãngeles. ”‹”‹Attendees are required to preregister for the event.
