Students ate free food, played games, and learned about culture at Latinx event on Thursday.

The Latinx Club and Student Veterans Association hosted the Friendship Event for students and families to promote Latinx culture.  

“Part of the mission of the college is diversity,” Latinx Club adviser Sam Cordero-Puchales said. “We are in a community where we have a diverse population of students, and staff members … so we want to do the friendship event just to get everybody together.”

Cordero-Puchales said promoting diversity is “very important.”

“We are lucky to be a campus where we have … you know, people from different backgrounds,” Cordero Puchales said. “I think that we should promote more events where everybody, students and staff members gather together, to get to know each other, and to share, you know, their experience … [on] what it is to be an AACC student on campus.”

Activities students participated in were making bracelets or playing games such as Jenga and Operation. Attendees were treated to free chips and salsa, chicken tenders, and horchata. 

Ashley Flores-Gonzalez, the president of the Latinx Club, said “it would be nice to have, you know, college students and their families and also have the kids, you know, since they’re on spring break [and] have them and do fun activities and enjoy some music and food.”

Flores-Gonzalez, a second-year paralegal student, said the point of the event was to “bring the community together.” 

Latinx Club Vice-President Oneyda Gallardo-Ruano said the purpose of the event was for students to wind down from the school year with the event. 

“It’s to make something a little fun for people [to] enjoy,” Gallardo-Ruano, a first-year business student, said. 

Sebastian Cordero-Toledo, a fourth-year transfer student, said the event was necessary for people who want to meet others with the same interests. 

“I wanted to see if I can meet anyone new before I left,” Cordero-Toledo said. “So I thought it was a great place to meet people and make more connections.”