Students stuffed their faces with jalapenos, gave their best grito and sang along to the university’s mariachi group at Saturday’s tailgate to showcase the vibrant Hispanic culture.
A group of 10 students signed up to participate in the jalapeno-eating contest for an opportunity to win a Javelina goody bag. Rafael Guerrero walked out as a victor of the friendly competition.
The event then encouraged people to sign up for a grito contest on stage. A total of 11 participants got on stage and tried their best to represent their Hispanic roots. Miss TAMUK Briana Rodriguez, new coach Michael Madrid and Kinesiology advisor Alfonso Ramos served as judges for the grito contest and awarded prizes for first through third places. Alejandro Navarrette, Andrew Perez and Rolando Reyes were winners of the grito contest.
The Hispanic Heritage Committee has organized several events for students to enjoy from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. Students can look forward to attending events such as loteria night and a screening of the movie Selena at the Alamo Drafthouse in Corpus Christi.
A&M-Kingsville is also highlighting the Hispanic culture by having celebrational displays at the Jernigan Library and the Javelina bookstore.
Hispanic Heritage Month activities encourage students to celebrate their culture and learn about their roots through different activities.
“We want to focus on all 23 Latin-American countries, not just in Mexico. We have a diverse student body, and it’s important to show appreciation to the different cultures here at the university. We have different events planned throughout the semester that show the traditions and culture of Hispanic heritage,” Sergio Ortiz, Hispanic Heritage Committee member, said.
TAMUK makes an effort to celebrate different cultures and encourage diversity throughout the university.
“It’s so important to celebrate Hispanic culture since it’s so dominant here; our campus is primarily Hispanic and it’s important that other people who are not Hispanic have an understanding of our culture just as much as we understand theirs. I think these types of events shows how diverse our university is,” Alyssa Guerra, criminology major, said.
Saturday afternoon was filled with fun and allowed for students to learn about and celebrate Hispanic culture.
“I think this event shows a message that different cultures are welcomed, being that both my parents graduated from here [TAMUK] it’s a place that has always been culturally diverse…this is an event that highlights the uniqueness of our Hispanic and white culture mixing,” said Briana Rodriguez, business administration major, said.
