Interview with Brandon Alvarez

This week, I chatted with Brandon Alvarez (junior, biochem and business) about Hispanic Heritage month and his new role as president of AULA (Andrews University Latino Association). Brandon is excited for all the events that have been planned for this month with AULA, and tells us a little bit about his own feelings regarding Latinx culture and pride. 

What does Hispanic Heritage month mean to you personally? And what do you like about it?

That’s a hard question! For me, it's always been a time that I can truly, authentically, just kind of go crazy about my culture. I feel like a lot of times, even in other months, Latinos are always really active and really loud because we’re so proud, but I think during Hispanic Heritage Month everyone else gives them the space to actually do that. So that's what I like about this time–I can really have the space to express myself loudly, and it doesn’t feel so taboo to be really vibrant in my expressions of my culture. And for what it means to me personally: I think I take the most pride in where my parents are from, mainly because I feel like I’ve done so little on my own. That sounds kind of sad, but I've done little to be proud of, essentially, and so when I hear my parent’s stories about how they were raised and the kind of food they ate or music they listened to, that’s something that I can personally be proud of–especially because they had to move to a completely different culture and get used to that. I think that for me, [Hispanic Heritage Month] always is a way to honor where they came from, instead of just assimilating to the popular culture.

And what made you want to be president of the club this year?

So, I was part of AULA last year–and shout out the best president ever, Jocey; she was just so, so good. I loved her so much and that's why it was really hard for me to come after her. Those are big shoes to fill and she basically established the face of AULA. And of course other years too all had amazing presidents. So I was pretty nervous about filling that role, but I also felt that if I didn’t, then there wouldn’t really be a lot of other people to do it.  So that’s essentially why I chose to step up. I didn’t feel like I absolutely had to be the president, but I wanted someone to put their energy and keep bringing life to this club that was founded only five years ago.

I saw that you guys have a bunch of events for this month. What are you most looking forward to and what’s your favorite event?

I think everyone probably can agree with me on this–Noche Latina is probably the biggest event, because that's our last event. And you know, we want to always end with a bang, so that’s what I’m most looking forward to. All the upcoming events are kind of sneak peeks into Noche Latina – we have food, we have music, and of course games. And then next week, we're planning on collaborating with AUSA to provide an outdoors food event, like a barbecue. All of these activities are basically leading up to this super big event. It’s what I’m most excited for because so many people show up! It's always  a big crowd and I love big crowds.

Okay, and if you want to do a little plug for your club, why should someone join AULA?

I love AULA because I think it is probably the most energetic club. Especially in Berrien Springs–I don't know about you–but I've definitely suffered from seasonal depression, and this campus can get so damp. I feel like I need to provide  energy and help people feel more social, so I think that's why people should join just because I think that our club gives them that social energy and that space where they can literally sing their heart out, or dance their legs out, or eat their stomachs out.