On Thursday Oct. 12, three days before the end of Hispanic Heritage Month, students gathered in the Robert Dubbs Auditorium to witness heartfelt speeches, poetry and artistic performances by their peers and teachers in reflection and celebration of Hispanic and Latino culture.
The event began with a series of speakers sharing their experiences being Hispanic and/or Latino. The first speech was by junior Micaela Phelan, who is Peruvian. Phelan recited “Home is What If,” a poem that she said is representative of her journey.
“Home is where the people you love wait for you and a warm plate waits for you,” Phelan said. “But what if they wait for too long, and the food gets cold?”
Senior Samaria Nuñez followed Phelan’s poem with a speech reflecting on what it was like coming to the high school and learning English after growing up in Honduras.
“I questioned whether others would like me, whether I would make friends and what would happen if I made a mistake,” Nuñez said.
After finding a welcoming space in her English Language Education class and the Latinx Club, Nuñez was able to embrace her culture in a new way.
“I chose to love my accent because it reminds me of where I come from, my culture and my true home,” Nuñez said. “It’s a reminder that no accent should affect our inclusion.”
Sophomores Adriana Oviedo and Maite Fábregas performed a joint speech in which they switched back and forth between English and Spanish. The two talked about how the languages they have in common have been beneficial to their friendship and beyond.
“Hay muchas cosas que he aprendido y más que aprender de mi amistad con Adri. Te invitamos a conocer el mundo,” Fábregas said in Spanish. There are many things I’ve learned and much more to learn from my friendship with Adri. We invite you to get to know the world.
After the student speeches, Associate Dean Marisel Figueroa and Dean of Students Astrid Allen also took the stage to tell their stories. Figueroa discussed her relationship with her appearance as Afro-Latina.
“I often found that being seen as pretty, smart or worthy of praise meant that I had to look like my white counterparts. El pelo lacio,” Figueroa said. “‘We are in America; we speak in English,’ I was told. I would spend years being haunted by the Eurocentric definition of beauty. My inner child suffered, crying every day to be unleashed as her authentic self.”
After realizing that she had unintentionally passed along this very idea to her daughter, Figueroa began what she described as a journey of self-healing.
“It started with cutting my hair. It was a cathartic experience. As I turned to look in the mirror and saw a face full of short, tight curls, I cried,” Figueroa said. “It was almost a release for me. A moment of liberation.”
Allen, who has an English father and a Colombian mother, called upon the audience to raise their hands if their parents or guardians were born in another country, and then if they speak or hear another language at home that isn’t English. She also asked students to reflect on their own identities.
“Look around. Raise your hand if you’re like me: what our school data calls mixed race, multiracial, biracial, white and something else, Hispanic, Latinx, etcetera,” she said. “Maybe you’re like me. You’re a surprise.”
Allen spoke about the women that she said made her who she is—“Las mujeres de mi familia”—and about working to overcome the language barrier between her and her grandmother.
Following the speeches were four performances. Junior Aitana Pedrero-Puertas and freshman Candela Vicario Ocaña danced on stage. Spanish teacher Kevin Whitehead played the guitar as Phelan and Nuñez sang. Senior Itamar Leibowitz played the trumpet and the Fourth Floor Gents (Seniors Fabian Ugalde, Rafa Méndez, Nathan Ives and Xenofon Papamichail) performed “Profugos” with Phelan and Nuñez on vocals.
Although everyone’s speeches and performances varied greatly, they all contributed toward a common message.
“Let’s keep in mind one simple truth: we all have the right to be ourselves and to aspire for our better future. Our backgrounds are not an obstacle. They’re our superpower, making us unique,” Nuñez said. “Let’s celebrate our individuality, dance to the rhythm of our culture and take pride in our identities.”
