La Casa Latina is offering a range of events in celebration of its 25th anniversary and Latinx Heritage Month.
La Casa Latina, the main center for Latinx students at the University, organized a schedule for the month featuring panel discussions, an author talk, student gatherings, and conferences. It also hosted a symposium on Sept. 21 recognizing a quarter-century of “dedicated service, advocacy, and cultural empowerment," according to La Casa Latina Director Krista Cortes.
“This anniversary is not just a recognition of the center’s founding but a reflection on the collective efforts of its founders and the ongoing work required to serve a dynamic and diverse Penn Latine community,” Cortes said.
The celebration commenced with the Procession of Flags on Sept. 16, where students marched down Locust Walk holding the flags of Latin America. The event was followed by an Open House of La Casa Latina.
On Sept. 21, a symposium centered around La Casa Latina’s 25th anniversary took place at the ARCH Building, featuring two panels and an award luncheon.
The first panel reflected on the center’s evolution and impact since its establishment in 1999. Founding members Luz Marin and Jorge Santiago-Aviles spoke on the panel, as well as Nursing senior Salvador Galvez Jr. The second session featured the perspectives of students and recent graduates on the intersections of identity and activism.
In her remarks at the symposium, Cortes described the cultural center as a “landing space” for students.
She highlighted the establishment of the Latinx Graduation Ceremony in 2021, which offers a bilingual graduation in English and Spanish as students walk the stage with their parents and relatives. La Casa Latina also invites cultural dancers, musicians, and speakers to perform at the graduation. Cortes said that the initiative emerged from student efforts after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted many of their formative years.
La Casa Latina gave out seven awards to students and faculty to celebrate their contributions to Penn’s Latin community. The two Service & Dedication Awards went to retired office coordinator Maritza Santiago Torres and Johnny Irizarry, who is the longest-serving director of La Casa Latina.
Amelia Becerra, a College junior and La Casa Latina program assistant, said during the symposium that it’s always “nice to see alumni come back, as they help me believe it is possible to do something here and to see that they've all been successful really validates my experience.”
On Sept. 26, graduate students congregated in Castor Courtyard for the Graduate Student Bienvenida. To conclude September’s celebrations, Luis Miranda Jr., a Puerto Rican author, visited the University on Sept. 30 to discuss the role of Latinx voices in politics.
Future events for October include the Dolores Huerta lecture and the 7th PLAC Conference, which will discuss public and community-engaged scholarship in Latin America, the Caribbean, and its diaspora.
College senior and La Casa Latina program assistant, Andrea Barajas, who was also a photographer for the Daily Pennsylvanian, said that planning these events didn’t come without challenges.
During previous Latinx Heritage Months, La Casa Latina hosted events nearly every day. This year, to remedy the stress of organizing such frequent events, Barajas said that La Casa Latina is focusing on “recognizing their capacities and limitations.”
Barajas added that La Casa Latina has worked to plan fun events despite funding options becoming more limited. For example, she led an event in February where she made paper flower bouquets, having purchased paper and fake flowers in bulk from Amazon.
“We’ve had to get a bit more conservative with the financial aspect, but that also means we get to be a little more creative with it,” Barajas said.
Galvez Jr. said that La Casa Latina has greatly evolved since he joined as a first year, especially in terms of engagement and outreach.
“It seems like there are a lot more Latine students on campus, and I think those students are finding the space of La Casa,” Galvez Jr. said. “A part of me is really proud of the work that we’re putting into making sure that people know we’re a center, a resource for them.”
Galvez Jr. also said that there has been an increase in programming and event planning, highlighting the establishment of the bilingual graduation.
“Latine graduating students at Penn always share that that’s something really special to them, especially when their parents may not speak English or come from immigrant households,” Galvez Jr. said. “Having a graduation that they can participate in and semi-understand is really nice as well.”
Looking ahead, La Casa Latina aims to engage with the broader Philadelphia Latinx community, build connections with Latinx alumni, and compile a digital archive of Latinx legacies at the University. In 2025, La Casa Latina will launch a scholars program that supports undergraduate and graduate students.
“Our main goal is to increase our visibility and really show administration and continue to show students that we are a resource for them,” Galvez Jr. said.
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