Alina Popov / Roundup
To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, Pierce College will host a free event for students, faculty and staff Oct. 8 in the Great Hall inside the Student Community Center.
The Pierce Diversity Committee,chaired by college compliance officer Sylvia Silva and co-chaired by Fernando Oleas, Spanish discipline assistant professor, has acknowledged this month with several events for the past couple of years.
The festivities will take place from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., and like last year’s event will feature appetizers, drinks, music and dance.
“This is a beautiful event that has been set up to appreciate diversity,” said Mitra Hoshiar, professor of sociology.
The star of the event will be Los Pinguos, an eclectic group originating from Buenos Aires that primarily plays acoustic instruments such as Spanish guitars, a Cuban Tres and Peruvian box drums.
“This is the second year in a row that the Argentinean band will play for our students, faculty and staff to enjoy,” Silva said. “The event last year was so well liked and attended that the PDC voted to have them return.”
“It is a life-changing experience and one of the most important components is to disseminate an overall understanding of our cultural diversity,” Oleas said. “The Hispanic dance is a representation of only one important aspect of the richness of our culture.”
Los Pinguos will be hosting a dance contest with prizes at the end like they did last year.
English major Ava Badiee, 18, thinks the event will create a strong social atmosphere for Hispanic students at Pierce.
“It is going to be a great experience for Hispanic students who are looking to find friends with the same cultural perspectives,” she said.
“It is an opportunity for the students to explore and interact with our overall campus life,” Oleas said. “It is a reminder that the student’s life does not start or end in the classroom.”
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Adri∑n Buono, lead vocalist and guitarist of the band Los Pinguos sings at the Fiesta honoring Hispanic Heritage Month in Student Community Center at Pierce College in Woodland Hills in the San Fernando Valley, Calif. on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008. (Alina Popov / Roundup)
