The Andrews University Latino Association (AULA) is the first Latino Association at a Seventh-day Adventist university and one of the largest clubs on campus.
The current president of AULA, Dersanys Holguin, is a testament to dedication. As a third-year student studying medical laboratory sciences, she not only spends long hours on coursework but also coordinates projects, plans meetings and leads AULA. The source behind this intense drive is her passion about her two goals for the club: to prompt students to share traditional aspects of their cultures and for the club to conjure a familiar feeling of home—for AULA to feel like a family.
It may be impossible to achieve this feeling completely, she said, but those in the club can still feel “a little closer to home.”
Dersanys talked about how AULA has been especially busy planning events in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, a time to remember and celebrate the contributions made by Hispanic and Latino communities. In honor of this celebration, which is from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, AULA has hosted weekly events. On Tuesdays at 11:30 a.m., they have invited Hispanic leaders to discuss topics relating to their cultural identity. For instance, on Sept. 24, Benjamin Navia, a professor of biology, shared the immense need for Hispanic medical professionals. This is a small part of Dersanys' larger goal of promoting a deeper and fuller understanding of what it means to be Hispanic.
AULA has also been sharing traditional food alongside these talks. On Oct. 1, they cooked arepas, a Venezuelan dish, and in previous weeks, they made flan, tres leches, rice and beans, empanadas, and Mexican-style nachos. This corresponds to Dersanys' second goal: creating an environment where Hispanic students can feel more at home.
She also described how the vespers on Oct. 4, put on by various organizations, including AULA, illustrates the club achieving its goals. During the worship, Andrews student Guimel Gonzalez (graduate, MDiv) played merengue, a style of music and dance “originating in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, strongly influenced by Venezuelan and Afro-Cuban musical practices and by dances throughout Latin America,” according to Britannica. In this way, Guimel shared a unique piece of his Hispanic identity with the student body and achieved two of AULA’s goals: first, students could see the depth and beauty of Hispanic culture, and, at the same time, any students who heard merengue growing up were reminded of home. This was made all the more beautiful by the fact that the music also brought students together in worship.
Dersanys also described her plans for Noche Latina on Oct. 26, which has been a highlight of the Andrews fall semester. This year, Dersanys plans to make it special; AULA will focus on sharing traditional aspects of Hispanic culture. For music, they have planned mariachi and salsa, which are classics from Mexico and Cuba. They also will showcase cultural wear from over 10 countries including Peru, Honduras, Mexico, Belize, Dominican Republic, Argentina, Panama, and Brazil. The night will also feature various poetry readings from Hispanic students and piñatas at closing. All in all, it’s looking to be a must-attend event for every AU student.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.