Wednesday marked the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month, a government-initiated celebration of Latino culture, tradition and history in America.
Running from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, Hispanic Heritage Month initially started as a week under President Lyndon Johnson but was later expanded to a 30-day observation by President Ronald Reagan in 1988. Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua also celebrate their independence day on Sept. 15.
Although Hispanic Heritage Month is a national celebration, students and faculty at Mississippi State University are able to get personally involved through events held on campus.
Shaz Akram, assistant director at Holmes Cultural Diversity Center, said she sees the importance of sharing Hispanic culture and tradition.
“We want to highlight the month for the benefit of the majority of our students who don’t have the opportunity to travel or be close to such cultures, but through our program they can experience Latin culture firsthand,” Akram said.
Last year, the Hispanic Student Association put on Latin Night, which included dancers from several different South American countries, Latino-inspired cuisine from dining services and musical performances from professors and students.
Marco Izquierdo, senior mechanical engineering major, led the event last year and said he was encouraged by the turnout.
“It was a great success. It was our first Latin Night, and we were expecting around 200 people,” Izquierdo said. “And by the end of the night we had over 350 people show up. It exceeded our expectations greatly, and we were really happy with the results. It was like we made a small statement.”
Daniela Gonzales, industrial engineering graduate student and president of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, is in charge of Latin Night this year. Despite Latin Night being held in November, outside of Hispanic Heritage Month, she said she hopes people will get the most out of the program.
“I’m excited to show off all of our cultures and to show people that there’s a lot of us and that we do make a difference,” Gonzales said. “We want to let people know how many Latinos there are in Starkville, and how we all stand out in our own way. Last year turned out good, but we want to make it even better this year.”
Izquierdo said while Latin Night can be a positive, educational gathering for  MSU and members of the community, he does not want the true meaning of Hispanic Heritage Month to be forgotten.
“It’s a month that I try to highlight what the Hispanic community has done here in the United States as well as in Mississippi,” he said. “It’s a time to celebrate our accomplishments and remember how everyone has a different background, but we all consider ourselves Hispanic.”