Student group supports Latin America; recognizes culture, offers social network

Reggaeton and Salsa are some of the dances featured at “Latin Night” organized by the Latin American Student Organization.

Five undergraduates in business class decided six months ago the University needed an organization to promote Latin American culture and provide opportunities for students to socialize.

Ursula Diaz, Carlos Hernandez, Blanca Espinoza and David Garcia are the founding members of the Latin American Student Organization.

The five students met at Starbucks, drew up a constitution and made elections based on the suitability of the candidates, business major Diaz, said.

“Carlos Hernandez is very outgoing and social, so we elected him president,” Diaz said.

“Blanca Espinoza is in marketing, so she could be the promoter. And I know all the stuff about registering, so I became the secretary.

Diaz said the group’s main objective is to provide social, academic and career opportunities by participating in Family Day and other student organizations’ activities.

“We are starting to work with Junior Achievement,” she said. “That’s an organization that goes to kindergarten to 12th grade because they have bilingual sessions.

Last semester we focused on recruitment and fundraising, this semester we want to start volunteering and getting members internships,” she said.

Diaz said there are 43 LASO members who meet at 5 p.m. every other Monday.

She said the meeting place sometimes changes, so members log on to the group’s e-mail for the precise location.
Diaz said membership is open to all students once they pay a $20 annual fee.

“We have members from Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras and Spain,” she said. “Once you’re interested in Latin American cultures, even Americans can come.”

Hernandez, 28, said he is a business management undergraduate from Acapulco, Mexico, and he expects LASO to be relevant to Latin American students by serving their needs.

“We want it to grow, to make students aware of certain opportunities, and we want it to serve as a way for others to learn about different Latin American cultures,” Hernandez said.

Members say contact with companies offering internships is an important service the organization provides.

Diaz said Jesse Acosta, the president’s chief of staff, Dr. Isaura Flores, assistant professor of management, and the group’s advisor assist LASO.

Price Arredondo, head of Tyler’s chamber of commerce, frequently visits the group to speak and link students to companies looking for bilingual employees, Diaz said.

“There have been a lot of guest speakers from companies interested in bilingual students,” she said.

“Blanca Espinoza got one of the internships offered at TV Aztecs to work full time.”

Opportunities like this come largely by the efforts of Acosta and his relations with the business community in Tyler,” Diaz said.

“He’s the one that brings us all the contacts and invites them to talk to us,” she said.

Melanie Perez, an accounting junior, said she enjoys being a member of the organization.

“I got to know more people and make friends, know more cultures,” Perez said.

Perez said because of the work of the organization, students are becoming aware of the group and what it stands for.

“A lot of people are interested in the organization and they want to join,” she said.

Perez said Flores helps access scholarships for members like Anna Blanco, 22, a marketing undergraduate who is the group’s promoter and a scholarship recipient.

“I was going to go straight to work after high school because my family did not have money, but I was given a scholarship which was the Faulkner scholarship,” Blanco said.

Blanco said she enjoys being a member of LASO and plans to continue with the group after she graduates in May.
“I like it because I got to meet a lot of people,” Blanco said.

Blanco said she wants Latin American students to be aware of opportunities available to them because she understands how important financial support is for education.

“I almost did not go to college because I didn’t have the money, “Blanco said. “Sometimes we just got to let students know the opportunities that are out there.”