Latinx students create community club
On April 20, the Humboldt Latinx Community club met at El Centro Académico Cultural de Humboldt for an end of the semester potluck. Members brought home-made food such as ceviche, horchata and other delicious foods that are hard to come by in Humboldt County. A sense of community can be felt at the potluck that reminds attendees of home.
How did it begin?
The club was started by Cal Poly Humboldt Cross Country runners Brian Mendoza and Rosa Granados. They noticed there was no club specific to Latinx student athletes so they formed the Latinx Union for Student Athletes.
“I came to this club and wanted to be involved with them because coming here I didn’t feel that I had community,” said Isabel Perez-Zoghbi, VP-Finance for the club. “I came from a town where I was surrounded by people who were hispanic and that looked like me. Out here there is less of that and it’s a big culture shock. I felt like I didn’t have a connection.”
After their first meeting they decided to change their name to the Humboldt Latinx Community.
“We realized we wanted more than student athletes because the need of other students is coming to us and they are asking ‘Do you have to be an athlete to be in the club?’ and we were like ‘let’s drop the student athlete thing and just open it up for the community’ and that’s something that the entire executive group sat down in a meeting,” said Granados.
For the Humboldt Latinx Community Club, it is important for them to have members get the resources and help that
they need while simultaneously feeling at home.
Anabel Ojeda, club president, said, “I think that it’s up to us to build a sense of community and have our culture after being so far away from home because when you get up here you kinda ‘adapt’ to the culture here and it’s different. Having a club where you are reminded about your culture is good.”
One of the Humboldt Latinx Community club’s main goals is to make sure students can be connected to resources so they can be successful academically
and socially.
“It has been a lot of fun joining this community,” said Pablo Chapman, president of community. “There is no set structure so it allows for a flow of conversation and so when we have events there isn’t a set structure so it allows people to talk.”
To learn more about the Humboldt Latinx Community Club, check out their instagram page @humboldt_latinx_community.
